UNCTAD-2018年非洲B2C电子商务指数报告（英文）-2018.12-23页

报告摘要

UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2018 Focus on Africa Summary

Core Content of the Document

The UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2018 evaluates the readiness of economies to support online shopping. The index includes 151 economies, an increase from the 2017 edition. It is based on four indicators:

Account ownership at a financial institution or mobile-money provider
Internet usage
Postal reliability
Secure Internet servers per 1 million people

The index is designed to reflect how prepared an economy is for B2C e-commerce, with a strong correlation (adjusted R² of 0.8) between index values and actual online shopping behavior.

Main Points and Key Information

1. Index Methodology and Data Sources

The index is calculated as the average of four equally weighted indicators.
Data for the indicators are sourced from the World Bank, ITU, UPU, and Netcraft.
Some data are estimated using CAGR where surveys are not available for all years.
The secure servers indicator is normalized using a logarithmic formula to ensure comparability across countries.

2. Top-Ranked Countries in the Index

The Netherlands leads the index, replacing Luxembourg due to a sharp drop in postal reliability.
The United Kingdom and Switzerland follow closely, both with high index values.
Norway and Sweden are among the top Nordic nations, while Iceland and New Zealand also rank highly.
Singapore has made a significant leap in the rankings, now in the top 10.
Denmark is the last in the top 10, with a relatively low postal reliability score.

3. Top-Ranked Developing Countries

All but one of the top ten developing countries are from East or West Asia.
Singapore is the only developing country also in the top 10 of the overall index.
Republic of Korea is now the top-ranked developing country, despite a downward revision in secure servers.
United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Iran, Chile, and Saudi Arabia are among the top ten developing countries.

4. Regional Performance

Africa has 44 countries in the 2018 index, but the region lags behind globally in e-commerce readiness.
Mauritius is the highest-ranked African country, with 90% of the population having an account.
Nigeria ranks second, driven by improvements in postal reliability.
South Africa ranks third, with strong Internet penetration.
Sub-Saharan Africa has shown progress since 2014, surpassing global growth in three of the four indicators.

5. Key Challenges and Innovations

Postal reliability is a major factor in e-commerce readiness, with significant fluctuations in 2017.
Iceland has the highest Internet access in the world (98%), but its low postal reliability score limits its overall ranking.
Nigeria faces challenges in its addressing system, which hinders home delivery. It has adopted the what3words system to improve delivery efficiency.
Secure Internet servers have seen a rise in some countries due to increased security measures and free certificates.

6. Economic Impact and Investment

The index is a proxy for e-commerce readiness, with high index values correlating to high online shopping rates.
The Netherlands has the highest proportion of online shoppers (76%), and its e-commerce market is among the largest in the world.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) and venture capital are attracted to countries with strong e-commerce readiness, such as Thailand, Singapore, and United Arab Emirates.
Alibaba and Amazon have shown interest in Turkey, Malaysia, and Iran, indicating potential for growth in these markets.

7. Summary of Regional Index Values

Africa: Average index value of 30, with Mauritius at the top (66.9) and Cameroon at the bottom (40.3).
East, South & Southeast Asia: Average index value of 57, with Singapore and Hong Kong (China) leading.
Latin America & the Caribbean: Average index value of 46, with Chile as the top-ranked country.
Western Asia: Average index value of 57, with United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia leading.
Transition economies: Average index value of 65, with Kazakhstan and Georgia showing notable improvements.
Developed economies: Average index value of 86, with the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and Switzerland leading.

Conclusion

The UNCTAD B2C E-commerce Index 2018 highlights the global disparities in e-commerce readiness, with Europe and Asia leading the rankings. While Africa has made progress in some indicators, it still lags behind in terms of overall readiness. The index provides a useful tool for assessing the infrastructure and environment needed to support online shopping, and it underscores the importance of Internet access, secure payment systems, and reliable postal services in driving e-commerce growth. The Netherlands stands out as the most prepared economy, and Singapore and Republic of Korea are notable for their rapid improvements. The Index also reflects the impact of foreign investment and innovation, such as the what3words system in Nigeria, on enhancing e-commerce capabilities.