Digital competitiveness of regional economy

Introduction. The scientific concern in question is relevant as it is a new phenomenon in the Russian economy – digital tranfromations and the transition to the digital economy. Purpose. The article aims at articulating the authors’ definition of the category ‘digital competitiveness of a region’, evaluating the digital competitiveness of a region, and outlining its dynamics in Russia. Materials and Methods. To measure and qualitatively assess the region’s digital competitiveness, the authors propose an integral digital competitiveness index calculated from the data of the Federal Service for National Statistics by 85 regions of Russia for a 2020–2022 period. The dynamics of this index and GRP’s growth rate per capita is considered. Results. The regions of Russia are classified into four groups: 1 – low GRP growth rate per capita and low digital competitiveness index, 2 – high GRP growth rate per capita and low digital competitiveness index, 3 – low GRP growth rate per capita and high digital competitiveness index, 4 – high GRP growth rate per capita and high digital competitiveness. Conclusions. Qualitative assessment of the regions’ digital competitiveness is the key feature of transition to Industry 5.0. This factor could be seen as an indicator for the relevant digital transformations practiced by the regional authorities in the regional economy to enhance the efficiency of the economic growth. Moreover, this factor combined with a two-parameter classification of the regions could reveal the degree of spacial inequality among regions in their transition to the digital economy.