Turkey advancing in digital transformation: Report

By Tuba Sahin and Tolga Yanik

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has upped its game in digital transformation this year with a score of 3.06 out of five compared to 2.94 last year, according to a report from Turkey's Informatics Industry Association (TUBISAD) on Tuesday.

Despite showing year-on-year improvement in all the components of the index, Turkey ranks in the average category in digitalization globally, the report said.

The virtual meeting announcing the report said Turkey should make rapid strides in digital transformation in order to benefit from the new opportunities.

Mehmet Fatih Kacir, deputy minister of industry and technology, said the country was focused on self-sufficiency and digital transformation.

Turkey's strong infrastructure in technology production was testament in its fight against coronavirus, he added.

He highlighted that the number of R&D professionals in the country reached 172,000 in 2018, up from 54,000 in 2006.

"The share of R&D expenditures in our GDP was around 0.5% in 2006, it reached 1% last year," Kacir said.

Kubra Erman Karaca, the head of TUBISAD, said Turkey's capacity to utilize new technologies varies greatly according to regions, sectors and firm types.

Pointing to the virus crisis, Karaca said "post-pandemic economic order will be much more dependent on the use of technology than before."