Why Europe Will Miss Its 2030 Digital Skills Target
Key Takeaways
- The EU is off track to hit its 80% digital skills target by 2030 at current growth rates.
- 10 countries saw declines in basic digital skills between 2022 and 2025.
- Progress is uneven: while some countries are improving quickly, others are moving backward.
Europe’s push to build a digitally skilled population is losing momentum. At the current pace, the region is unlikely to meet its 2030 target.
The chart above, created by The European Correspondent using European Commission DESI data, shows how basic digital skills have changed across EU countries from 2022 to 2025, along with projected progress to 2030. While some countries are making rapid progress, others are slipping, with 10 EU nations reporting outright declines, leaving the EU on track to fall well short of the 80% goal.
This uneven progress points to a growing divide across the bloc. As digital skills become essential for jobs and public services, parts of Europe may fall further behind.
How Digital Skills are Evolving Across Europe
At the current pace, the EU would need to increase digital skills adoption nearly nine times faster to meet its 80% target by 2030, highlighting how far off track the region is despite recent gains.
| Country | % with basic digital skills (2022) | % with basic digital skills (2025) | Change (2022–2025) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | 49.1 | 58.9 | 9.80 |
| Czechia | 59.7 | 69.1 | 9.42 |
| Estonia | 56.4 | 62.6 | 6.24 |
| Belgium | 54.2 | 59.4 | 5.16 |
| Bulgaria | 31.2 | 35.5 | 4.34 |
| Lithuania | 48.8 | 52.9 | 4.07 |
| Netherlands | 78.9 | 82.7 | 3.76 |
| Germany | 48.9 | 52.2 | 3.30 |
| Finland | 79.2 | 82.0 | 2.81 |
| Ireland | 70.5 | 72.9 | 2.42 |
| Spain | 64.2 | 66.2 | 2.02 |
| Malta | 61.2 | 63.0 | 1.79 |
| EU average | 53.9 | 55.6 | 1.64 |
| Poland | 42.9 | 44.3 | 1.37 |
| Austria | 63.3 | 64.7 | 1.35 |
| Denmark | 68.7 | 69.6 | 0.97 |
| Portugal | 55.3 | 56.0 | 0.66 |
| Italy | 45.6 | 45.8 | 0.15 |
| Greece | 52.5 | 52.4 | -0.08 |
| Romania | 27.8 | 27.7 | -0.09 |
| Sweden | 66.6 | 66.4 | -0.16 |
| Cyprus | 50.2 | 49.5 | -0.75 |
| France | 62.0 | 59.7 | -2.29 |
| Slovenia | 49.7 | 46.7 | -2.97 |
| Luxembourg | 63.8 | 60.1 | -3.65 |
| Slovakia | 55.2 | 51.3 | -3.87 |
| Croatia | 63.4 | 59.0 | -4.42 |
| Latvia | 50.8 | 45.3 | -5.46 |
At the top of the rankings, the Netherlands and Finland lead with around 80% or more of adults possessing basic digital skills, followed closely by Ireland and Denmark. At the other end, Romania and Bulgaria remain the lowest, with fewer than half of citizens meeting the baseline threshold.
“Basic digital skills” refers to the ability to perform tasks across four domains—information, communication, problem-solving, and software use, based on the EU’s DESI framework.
Which Countries Are Moving Forward and Backward?
A notable warning sign: 10 EU countries are moving in reverse. Latvia, Croatia, Slovakia, and others reported lower shares of adults with basic digital skills in 2025 than in 2022, an unexpected shift from what was once steady progress.
On the other side of the ledger, Hungary led the bloc with a 9.8 percentage-point gain, followed closely by Czechia at 9.42 points. Estonia and Belgium also posted notable improvements. That mix of momentum and backsliding makes the regional picture look less like a steady climb and more like a very uneven Wi-Fi signal.
Why the 80% Target Matters
The EU’s 80% target is part of its broader Digital Decade program, designed to ensure citizens can work, learn, and access services in an increasingly digital economy. The European Commission says just 55.6% of the EU population currently has at least basic digital skills, while policymakers have warned that nearly half of EU adults still lack them even as 90% of jobs require some level of digital ability.
The stakes are economic. With roughly 90% of jobs now requiring some level of digital skills, countries that fall behind risk slower growth, weaker job markets, and reduced access to essential digital services.