Croatia has improved conditions for online commerce thanks to a higher number of citizens who use the Internet and more reliable postal services, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development's Business-to-Consumer (B2C) E-commerce Index 2019, on which eight European countries rank in the top 10.

The index scores 152 nations on their readiness for online shopping, worth an estimated US$ 3.9 trillion globally in 2017, up 22% from the previous year.

Croatia is ranked 27th with a total score of 84.3 out of 100. In last year’s index it was 32nd.

The main reason for the jump is the higher number of citizens who use the Internet – 75% as against 67% in last year’s index.

The reliability of postal services also improved, from 85 points in the 2018 index to 91 in the 2019 index.

The number of citizens with a bank account and the security of Internet services did not change significantly (85 points).

The Netherlands was again ranked first and Switzerland was second. The only non-European countries on the top 10 list are Singapore (third) and Australia (10th).

“Our B2C index shows how real and worrying the digital gap is between developed and developing countries,” says Shamika N. Sirimanne, director of UNCTAD’s unit that prepares the annual index.

For example, in half a dozen European nations, more than 80% of Internet users make purchases online. But that proportion is below 10% in most low and lower middle-income countries.