Denmark is the most digitally advanced country in the European Union, according to a recent study by the European Commission.
The 2015 Digital Economy and Social Index, has ranked Denmark as having Europe’s most advanced digital public services for the second year in a row.
The study found that 70% of Internet users completed forms online to public authorities, whilst two-thirds use of Denmark’s businesses use eInvoices and nearly half share information electronically. Use of cloud services in Denmark were found to be among the highest in the EU.
Denmark’s performance in eHealth was ranked the best in the European Union, with over 90% of of general practitioners exchanging medical information electronically, and nearly 100% using e-Prescriptions to transfer prescriptions to pharmacists electronically.
The Digital Economy and Social Index measures digital capability across five dimensions:
- Connectivity
- Digital Skills
- Use of Internet
- Integration of Digital Technology
- Digital Public Services Modernisation and Digitisation of public services
Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands and Finland were the best performing countries. “They are not only ahead in the EU, but they are world leaders in digital”, the study found.
Estonia was recognised as having the second best Digital Public Services in Europe, and topped the rankings for ePrescriptions.
According the Index, the European Union as a whole improved in digital development compared to 2014, with the best improvement being in Connectivity and Digital Skills (Human Capital). The study found the European Union as a whole “needs to progress in the use of Internet by citizens and even more so in Integration of Digital Technology by businesses”.
Key findings
- Digital public services are an everyday reality in some EU countries but almost non-existent in others
- Digital experience depends on the country you are in
- A majority of Europeans use the Internet on a regular basis
- Europeans are eager to access audiovisual content online
- Small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) face barriers with e-commerce
How Denmark topped the rankings
- 92% of Danish citizens are regular internet users
- Fixed broadband was available to 99% of homes in Denmark by end 2013
- Next Generation Access capable of providing at least 30 Mbps internet speeds is available to 83% of homes
- Denmark has the 4th highest percentage of ICT specialists in the workforce in the EU
- Danes are amongst the intensive users of Video on Demand and on-line shopping in EU
- The percentage of businesses using technologies such as electronic information sharing (42%), eInvoices (59%) and Cloud services (28%) are among the highest in the EU
Belgium, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Luxembourg, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Austria, France, Malta, Portugal and the Czech Republic ranked in the medium performance group, performing well in some areas, but needing progress in others.
Greece made the most progress in the rankings, showing significant improvement in the areas of connectivity and online public services.
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