Technology Sophistication Across Establishments
Bangladesh, Brazil, Burkina Faso...and 12 more, 2019 - 2023
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WLD_2019-2023_FAT_v01_M
Technology Sophistication Across Establishments
FAT QJE 2026
| Name |
|---|
| Bangladesh |
| Brazil |
| Burkina Faso |
| Cambodia |
| Chile |
| Croatia |
| Ethiopia |
| Georgia |
| Ghana |
| India |
| Kenya |
| Korea, Rep. |
| Poland |
| Senegal |
| Viet Nam |
Enterprise Survey [en/oth]
The Firm-level Adoption of Technology (FAT) Survey was conducted by the World Bank in 15 countries: Bangladesh; Brazil (Ceará, Paraná, and São Paulo); Burkina Faso; Cambodia; Chile; Croatia; Ethiopia; Georgia; Ghana; India (Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra); Kenya; Poland; Senegal; South Korea; and Vietnam. This dataset contains data for all countries. The individual country level datasets are also available for download from the Microdata Library.
The paper studies technology sophistication using a novel approach that measures the sophistication of the most advanced (MAX) and the most widely used (MOST) technologies in each of the key business functions within establishments. Using data from over 21,000 establishments across 15 countries, we find that establishments generally underutilize the most sophisticated technologies available within a business function. These MAX-MOST gaps are persistent and strongly associated with productivity both across establishments and countries. At the establishment level, there is substantial variation in both MAX and MOST, with MOST showing a more skewed distribution. MAX and MOST follow different lifecycle patterns in low-income countries and among small establishments, and they exhibit different associations with several establishment characteristics and performance indicators. This evidence underscores the different nature of the technology upgrading processes that drive MAX and MOST.
The replicability package for the paper is available at: https://reproducibility.worldbank.org/catalog/463.
Sample survey data [ssd]
Establishments.
Version
2026-01-30
Edited, anonymised datasets for public distribution
Coverage
Bangladesh; Brazil (Ceará, Paraná, and São Paulo); Burkina Faso; Cambodia; Chile; Croatia; Ethiopia; Georgia; Ghana; India (Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Maharashtra); Kenya; Poland; Senegal; South Korea; and Vietnam. Brazil refers to the states of Ceará, Paraná, and São Paulo. India refers to the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Xavier Cirera | The World Bank |
| Diego Comin | Dartmouth College |
| Marcio Cruz | IFC |
| Name | Abbreviation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| The World Bank Group | WBG | Financial Support |
| World Bank Group Partnership Facility | KWPF | Financial Support |
| Competitive Industries and Innovation Program | CIIP | Financial Support |
| InfoDev Multi-Donor Trust Fund | InfoDev | Financial Support |
Sampling
The sampling frame is based on the most comprehensive and up-to-date establishment-level census data available from the respective National Statistical Office (NSOs) or similar. The samples are nationally representative for formal establishments with five or more workers. The exceptions are Brazil and India, for which data collection was restricted to the States of Ceará, Paraná, and São Paulo, in Brazil, and Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, in India.
The sample stratifies the universe of establishments by firm size, sector of activity, and geographic regions. The sample is representative across these dimensions.
Section 2 and Appendix A of Cirera, X., Comin, D., & Cruz, M. (Forthcoming) provide detailed information about the sampling frame and sample design.
Bangladesh 30%
Brazil 39%
Burkina Faso 45%
Cambodia 16%
Chile 40%
Croatia 15%
Ethiopia 42%
Georgia 86%
Ghana 49%
India 49%
Kenya 77%
Korea 24%
Poland 47%
Senegal 57%
Vietnam 80%
Average across countries 46%
Appendix A4 of Cirera, X., Comin, D., & Cruz, M. (Forthcoming) provides detailed information about the sampling weights.
Survey instrument
The questionnaire is provided for download in English.
Data collection
| Start | End | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-06-01 | 2023-12-30 | 1 |
- Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]
The data used in the paper corresponds to the first and second phase of the survey implementation. The surveys were administered between June 2019 and the end of 2023 by the World Bank in partnership with public or private local agencies across ten countries: Bangladesh, Brazil (the state of Ceará), Senegal, and Vietnam in the first phase until January 2020. In the second phase, conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, after January 2020, it included Brazil (the states of Paraná and São Paulo), Burkina Faso, India (the states of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh), Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Poland, and the Republic of Korea. The mode of data collection was primarily face-to-face before the pandemic and mostly via telephone during the pandemic.
Data processing
The description of the data processing is provided in the paper, along with the dictionary for each variable included in the dataset.
Additional information for each country will be provided in a complementary document, as part of the "The Firm-level Adoption of Technology (FAT) Survey" project.
Data appraisal
Section 2 of Cirera, X., Comin, D., & Cruz, M. (Forthcoming) provides detailed information on several quality checks to validate the survey and the data, including comparability with official business statistics from external sources.
Depositor information
| Name |
|---|
| Financial and Private Sector Development Network (FPD) |
Data Access
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Marcio Cruz | DECPM | marciocruz@ifc.org |
| Xavier Cirera | WKPTC | xcirera@worldbank.org |
| Confidentiality declaration text |
|---|
| Publicly available. |
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
In addition to the dataset citation, users of the dataset must also cite the journal publication as follows:
Cirera, X., Comin, D., & Cruz, M. (Forthcoming). Technology Sophistication Across Establishments. The Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Marcio Cruz | DECPM | marciocruz@ifc.org |
| Xavier Cirera | WKPTC | xcirera@worldbank.org |
Metadata production
DDI_WLD_2019-2023_FAT_v01_M_WB
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Data Group | DECDG | World Bank | Documentation of the study |
2026-02-19
Metadata version
Version 01
2026-02-19