Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark scored the highest in DESI 2019

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is a composite index that summarizes the relevant data indicators on digital performance in Europe and tracks the progress of the EU Member States in digital competitiveness.

During the past year, all EU countries improved their digital performance. Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark obtained the highest scores in DESI 2019 and are among the world leaders in digitization. These countries are followed by the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Ireland, Estonia and Belgium. However, other countries still have a long way to go, and the EU as a whole needs improvements to be able to compete on the world stage.

The five dimensions of DESI:

In Connectivity Denmark obtained the highest score, followed by Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland. Greece, Croatia and Lithuania had the weakest performance in this DESI dimension.

In the human capital dimension of DESI 2019, Finland, Sweden, Luxembourg and Estonia obtained the highest scores. Bulgaria, Romania, Italy and Greece had the lowest.

There are still large disparities between the EU Member States regarding the use of Internet services.

In the integration of digital technology, Ireland obtained the highest score, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Hungary scored the lowest.

In digital public services, Finland has the highest score, followed by Estonia, the Netherlands and Spain. Romania, Greece and Hungary and have the lowest scores.

The added value of the ICT sector was 642 billion euros in 2016. ICT services accounted for 92% of the total value added of the ICT sector. ICT services (excluding telecommunications) were the dominant subsector and the only one that expanded in the medium and long term.

The five largest economies in the EU (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy and Spain) were the five largest contributors to the value added of the ICT sector in 2016. However, Ireland, a medium-sized country, has, with much, the greater participation of the ICT sector in the GDP (11.6% in 2014, more recent data available).

After five years of implementation, Horizon 2020 has allocated approximately 9,300 million euros in EU funding for more than 3,000 projects in areas related to ICT.  

Download the report HERE