Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published a report on digital skills in the EU. Serving the objectives of the Digital Decade and of the European Year of Skills, these statistics highlight that in 2023 a little less than 56% of people in the EU aged 16 to 74 had (at least) basic overall digital skills. This represents a sight increase since 2021 when a little less than 54% of EU people had at least basic digital skills. 

But how does Eurostat define “digital skills”? Digital skills refer to five areas: information and data literacy skills, communication and collaboration skills, digital content creation skills, safety skills and problem-solving skills in a digital environment. To be considered as possessing digital skills, an individual has to know how to perform at least one activity related to each area.

What countries fare better? The Netherlands (83%) and Finland (82%) stand out as the countries where the highest percentages were reported, followed by Denmark (70%). Conversely, the lowest shares were recorded in Romania (28%), Bulgaria (36%) and Poland (44%). 

These data show steady progress in the digital skills indicator, one of the key performance indicators for the Digital Decade, whose target for 2030 is 80% of EU people with basic digital skills.