Denmark is among the most digital countries in Europe
Denmark is once again among the most digital countries in EU according to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) by the European Commission. The DESI measures digital performance and competitiveness of the EU countries.
Denmark is one of the most digitalized countries in the EU according to the recent Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2019, published by the European Commission. Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom make up the top five in the annual ranking.
DESI is structured around five main pillars: Connectivity, Human Capital, Use of the Internet Services, Integration of Digital Technology, and Digital Public Services. Denmark has improved in all five focus areas.
Denmark is number one in two out of five pillars
The first pillar ‘Connectivity’ ranks Denmark as leading among the EU countries. Connectivity measures the deployment of broadband infrastructure and its quality. Denmark has a 4G coverage at 99% and both the fixed broadband and mobile network coverage is significantly above the European average.
‘Human Capital’ is the second pillar, which measures the possibility of taking advantage of digital tools. Denmark’s digital skills have improved since 2018 and are above the EU average. The report highlights Denmark’s initiative to increase the STEM candidates by annual investments of 20 million DKK (2.68 million Euro) from 2019 and 2022. This is part of the goal of increasing the number of STEM-candidates by 20% before 2028.
Denmark is the best in Europe when it comes to the use of internet services, which is the third pillar. Almost all Danes (95%) uses the internet regularly, which reflects the digital status of Denmark compared to the average EU of 83%. Additionally, the report notes, that only 2% of Danes have never used the internet.
The fourth pillar ‘Integration of Digital Technology’ measures the digitisation of businesses and e-commerce. Denmark is in this pillar fourth-best in the EU. The DESI-report especially emphasizes the integration of digital technology for small and medium-sized enterprises, where Denmark ranks first in the parameter ‘SMEs selling online’.
Finally, in the fifth pillar ‘Digital Public Services’ Denmark scores noticeably higher than the EU average - 77.8 points compared to EU’s 62.9 points. Digital public services measure the digitisation of public services, focusing on eGovernment and eHealth. Again, the lucrative environment for business highlighted, as Denmark provides top-class digital services for businesses – the best in Europe with a score of 100%.
about the Digital Economy and Society Index
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) by the European Commission is a composite index that summarises relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the evolution of EU member states in digital competitiveness.
The DESI measures the five dimensions: connectivity, human capital, citizen use of the internet, integration of digital technology by businesses and digital public services. Se the Danish Country Report 2019 here.