Digitalisation landscape in the European Union: Statistical insights for a Digital Transformation

Abstract

The widespread adoption of digital technologies is transforming societies, bringing with it both opportunities and challenges. This article examines the level of digitalisation in different European Union (EU) countries, with the aim of providing insights and lessons for advancing digital transformation. The research methodology uses a quantitative approach, with Eurostat as the primary data source. Principal component and cluster analyses were conducted to identify the key factors shaping digital transformation in the EU-27 countries. The results show the existence of three key factors that can help to understand digital transformation in the EU, namely “digital empowerment”, “digitalisation of enterprises” and “broadband access”, and four clusters with heterogeneous performances along these dimensions, classified as “digital access leaders”, “digital transformation champions”, “digital empowerment laggards” and “empowerment driven disparities”. By recognising interdependencies and understanding each country's digital performance, policymakers can develop targeted strategies to close the gap and ensure that the benefits of digitalisation are accessible to all. An integrated approach focusing on digital empowerment, enterprise digitalisation and broadband access can promote inclusive and sustainable digital development, contributing to economic growth and improved quality of life.

Assessing digital divide in European transition economies: The application of multidimensional scaling to ICT-related data

“…In the EU, to satisfy local needs (Reggi & Gil-Garcia, 2021), digitalisation as a process of applying digital technologies and infrastructures in diverse dimensions of businesses, households and individuals has come into focus for the last two decades (Pinto et al, 2023). Accordingly, it is important to examine the smallest units of society to get better insight into digitalisation levels.…”