According to the most recent edition of the Regional Digital Index (IDR 2017) published in may 2018, the Lisbon Region maintains total supremacy in relation to the remaining six Portuguese NUT II regions, with a large distance from the second region with the best result, the North region. Compared with the previous edition of the IDR, the Centre region has moved down 1 position, now occupying the 3rd place. The Algarve region is in the 4th position and in the 5th place is the Alentejo, followed by the Madeira and Azores, which occupies, once again, the last positions.

Following the decrease of the national average in the final score in relation to the previous edition (although residual, it was reduced by 0.6%), all regions are presented, except the North region (whose score increased by 4, 4%) and AM Lisboa (the increase in score was 2.5%). All other regions decreased their score between 2016 and 2017, with the highest decreases in R.A. Azores (18.3%) and R.A. Madeira (13.9%).

Figure 1 shows the final result obtained by the seven NUT II regions and the national average, in the editions of IDR 2017, IDR 2916, IDR 2015, IDR 2014, IDR 2013 and IDR 2012.

Figure 1: Final result obtained by the NUT II Regions and national average (editions IDR 2017, IDR 2016, IDR 2015, IDR 2014, IDR 2013 e IDR 2012)

On the other hand, with the exception of the North region that approached the average for Portugal, all regions saw, between 2016 and 2017, their IDR score deviate from the national average. In turn, the national average was even more distant from the score registered in the AM Lisboa region.

Figure 2: Performance of the seven region in relation to the national average (Portugal = 100), in IDR2017, IDR 2016, IDR 2015, IDR 2014, IDR 2013 and IDR 2012.

Figure 3: Positions and variation in the ranking of the NUT II regions in IDR 2017, IDR 2016, IDR 2015, IDR 2014, IDR 2013 e IDR 2012, as well as in each one of the four sub-indexes. 

Figure 4: Result and position obtained by each one of the NUT II region in IDR 2017 and in each one of the sub-indexes.

Methodological note: The Regional Digital Index (IDR) is a composite index that collects statistical information from 90 indicators (in the initial version, 73) for which regional values are available (NUT II regions). All indicators are aggregated into four sub-indexes (Context, Infrastructure, Usage and Impact), for which the respective partial score is calculated. Each indicator used in the index is normalized on a scale between 0 and 1, with each of the 105 indicators having the same weight in the respective sub-index and each of the four sub-indices having the same weight in the final score of the IDR.