#DESI: How digital is your country? 2018 Digital Economy and Society Index shows Europe's slow progress

The European Commission has released its 2018 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), showing that the EU is getting more digital, but progress remains insufficient for Europe to catch up with global leaders and to reduce differences across member states.

According to the index, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands scored the highest ratings and are among the global leaders in digitalization. Ireland, Cyprus and Spain progressed the most (by more than 15 index points) over the past four years. However, some other EU countries are far behind these results. The measurements of digitization in the EU show that connectivity has improved, but is insufficient to address fast-growing needs.

Though it is more common for Europeans to use internet to communicate and the number of digital specialists in Europe is growing, the digital skill gaps still remain. Moreover, while businesses are becoming more digital, e-commerce as a whole is growing slowly. At the same time, the figures show that Europeans use more often public administration services that are available online. These results call for a quick completion of the Digital Single Market and increased investments in digital economy and society (as expressed in the Communication).

More information on 2018 DESI can be found in the press release and Q&A, and on the Digital Single Market in a timeline and in two factsheets on the deliveries (here and here).

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