The development of the information society in the Republic of Croatia is monitored through various indicators used for measuring the success of the society's transition by means of information-communication technologies with the purpose of its progress.
The Republic of Croatia adopted the indicators of the European Union which are used for measuring the level of progress and defining priorities in the area of information-communication technologies. Indicators regarding Internet usage, the level of development of public services, computer-aided learning, health care services, e-business, information infrastructure safety and broadband networks usage are expressed in percentages of their application, thus enabling us to monitor the readiness and the progress of the state toward the achievement of the information society.
The activities related to the establishment and organisation of statistics on information society according to the concept of Eurostat were initiated during 2007 in accordance with the National EU Accession Programme.
The implementations of IKT POD and IKT DOM research for 2008 were initiated during 2008, again in accordance with the EU legislation, and with the financial support of the MB PHARE 2006 project, while the research on costs and investments in IT technology for companies is currently in the pilot stage (IKT-POD/INV).
IKT-POD is a yearly research regarding the application of information and communication technologies (ICT), which provides information on the usage of computers, the Internet, e-business and other ICTs in companies.
These data present a valuable source of information for the implementation of the policies in the area of information society in the Republic of Croatia. The IKT-POD research was carried out within the framework of the Eurostat guidelines for the first time during 2007, and its procedure is based on the Official Statistics Act (NN, No. 103/03.). It was carried out by Plus d.o.o. agency on behalf of the State Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Croatia. Harmonised research were carried out in all EU countries, therefore the data are internationally comparable.
OTHER STATISTICS
In addition to the research carried out by the State Bureau of Statistics, the Republic of Croatia also gathers data on the number of users of ICT services (fixed and mobile telephony, Internet and broadband Internet), the usage of e-business, e-banking, and the issued European IT certificates (ECDL). These data are gathered by various institutions in accordance with their field of competency.
Statistics on broadband Internet access in the Republic of Croatia
In 2006, the Government of the Republic of Croatia passed the Strategy of the Development of Broadband Internet Access in the Republic of Croatia for the period ending in 2008, with the purpose of accelerating and promoting further development of broadband Internet access as one of the key elements leading towards the society of knowledge and allowing the Republic of Croatia to join other developed European countries.
Indicators monitored in the above-mentioned area are:
· number of users of fixed broadband Internet access,
· number of users of mobile broadband Internet access.
According to the data from the Croatian Post and Electronic Communications Agency, the number of broadband Internet connections in the Republic of Croatia on 31 March 2009 totalled 722,110 with the achieved density of 16.28 percent. Therefore, in comparison with the same period last year during which the number of broadband Internet connections totalled 416,000, the growth achieved is 57.6 percent. This is the continuation of the trend of increase in the number of broadband Internet connections which began in 2003 and which continues to yield improved results each year.
eBanking statistics
Electronic banking is a general term used for all processes enabling users to execute banking transactions via electronic means without having to visit the relevant institution.
According to the data issued by the Croatian National Bank during the first quarter of 2009 in the Republic of Croatia 597,866 citizens and 155,721 business entities were using e-banking services. Looking back at the same period last year when the service was used by 452,736 citizens, and 135,035 business entities, it is evident that the increase in the number of users is 32.06 percent in the segment of private users, and 15,32 in the segment of business entities.
e-Business statistics
Electronic business implies all activities performed by legal or physical entities with the purpose of exchanging goods or services via computers and modern communication technologies. Electronic business is a necessary precondition for the participation of the Croatian economy in the global markets through the offer of Croatian good and services and the extended possibility of purchasing goods and services from the global markets.
Within the framework of the implementation of the Strategy of e-Business Development in the Republic of Croatia for the period of 2007-2010, at the end of last year the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship ordered two research projects whose results were published in '' The Study of e-Business Development in the Republic of Croatia for the year 2006 and 2007'' and ''The Study of Obstacles Impeding the Implementation of e-Business in the Republic of Croatia for the year 2006 and 2007''. The studies are the first of their kind in Croatia. They were carried out last October and November by IDC Adriatics agency following the methodology of the e-Business Watch project.
According to the data obtained during the research, in 2007 Croatian citizens spent an average of 93 kn to purchase goods via electronic means, compared to 9 kn spent six years earlier, while the expenditure in the business sector per capita in 2007 totalled 605 kn, compared to 89 kn spent in 2002. Despite the optimistic growth indicators, 57 percent of the companies in Croatia still consider their company too small to be using e-business.
ECDL STATISTICS
European Computer Driving Licence - ECDL is an internationally accepted certificate of IT literacy. According to the Croatian IT Association, during the first half of 2009 8,709 new ECDL certificates were issued in the Republic of Croatia. According to this figure, during the first six month of the current year alone we have already reached 71.2 percent of the total number of certificates issued during the entire previous year. If we add the figures from previous years to this number we reach the impressive total of of 39,687 individuals who earned ECDL certificates over the period of six years starting from the time when the Croatian IT Association got the license to implement ECDL programmes in the Republic of Croatia.
Statistical data on the number of ECDL certificate holders in the Republic of Croatia may be found at
Croatian IT Association.
STATISTICS OF THE INFORMATION SOCIETY IN THE EU
The European Commission has recognised the information and communication technology as the main promoter of change in the social and business sector. With the help of the Eurostat's official statistics, the statistical data of the EU member states are gathered, processed and compared to serve as the basis for the preparation and implementation of various Community's policies. In 2005, The European Commission established a new strategic framework for information society „i2010:European Information Society for Growth and Employment“ which served as the key element to the revised Lisbon strategy by providing an extensive strategy of the media and ICT sector.
The Eurostat's statistics on information society present key factors in monitoring these three priorities;
· completion of a common European IT space,
· innovation and investments in the research of ICT,
· establishment of an inclusive European IT society.
According to Eurostat's data on availability of the Internet in households in 2008, Croatia scored 45% availability, while the EU average totalled 60%. Despite that, Croatia ranked better than Bulgaria (25%), Greece (31%), Italy (42%), Cyprus (43%), and Romania (30%). (Press release – Eurostat, 2 December 2008)
For additional information please visit the official web site of
Eurostat.