EU's Digital Skills Gap Widens as 2030 Target Looms
The EU aims to equip 80% of its citizens with basic digital skills by 2030. However, current progress is falling short. A recent EU report reveals that fewer than 60% of Europeans possess these skills, with even lower numbers for those aged 55-74.
The DESI index shows that only 39% of Europeans aged 55-74 have basic digital skills, and a mere 14% have above-basic skills. This digital divide hinders the EU's digital transformation, traps bureaucracy in outdated processes, and leaves older citizens vulnerable to online scams.
Czechia has shown notable progress, improving its basic digital skills score by 9.42%, securing a spot in the top five EU countries. Between 2022 and 2025, Finland, the Netherlands, and Estonia demonstrated the highest success in enhancing digital skills among older Europeans. Meanwhile, Czechia leads in improving above-basic digital skills with an 11.42% increase. Estonia and Belgium also show significant improvement in basic digital skills, with increases of 7.16% and 6.59% respectively. Hungary tops the list for improving basic digital skills among citizens aged 18-74, with a 9.8% increase, followed by Estonia and Hungary with improvements of 7.16% and 6.59% respectively.
The EU's Digital Decade report outlines plans to boost digital skills, including a Skills package and a 2030 Roadmap. Despite recent improvements, efforts must intensify to meet the 2030 target and bridge the digital divide.
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