Students Lagging Behind in Digital Literacy Across the EU
The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) revealed that 43 percent of 14-year-old students in the European Union have not reached the basic level of digital skills. Comparisons made since 2018 show that many countries have either stagnated or regressed in this area. While countries like the Czech Republic and Denmark have performed better than others, the EU remains far from its goal of reducing the rate of low digital skills to below 15 percent by 2030. Romania and Greece, in particular, were found to lag significantly behind.
Socioeconomic disparities in digital skills have been clearly highlighted. Children from higher-income families tend to perform better in digital competencies. Furthermore, female students were generally found to outperform their male peers. However, only 20 percent of professionals working in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT) are women, indicating a persistent gender gap. Additionally, immigrant students and those who speak a different language at home typically performed at lower levels.
To address the digital skills gap, the European Commission continues to develop policies through initiatives such as the Digital Education Action Plan and the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The Digital Education Action Plan aims to enhance the skills needed for digital transformation and create high-performing digital education ecosystems.