Dutch digital skills at the top in Europe

Whether a person is digitally proficient is determined on the basis of the number of activities in five areas: information and data literacy skills, communication and collaboration skills, problem solving skills, safety skills and digital content creation skills. A person has basic digital skills if he or she performs at least one activity in the areas of information and communication and one or two in the other areas.

A person has above basic digital skills if two or more activities are performed in the areas of information and communication and three or more in the other areas.

The Netherlands and Finland leading in at least basic skills

Together with Finland, the Netherlands has the largest share of inhabitants with at least basic digital skills: nearly 80 percent. This means the Netherlands has almost achieved the European target of at least 80 percent basic digital proficiency by 2030. With 52 percent proficiency, the Netherlands even leads in above basic skills (Finland: 48 percent).

Bulgaria and Romania have the lowest shares of inhabitants with at least basic skills: 31 and 28 percent, respectively. Poland and Italy also score below the EU average (with respective shares of 43 and 46 percent).

Most skills in the area of communication

In 2021, the share of Dutch citizens with above basic digital skills was higher (93 percent) in the area of communication and collaboration skills than in other areas. This includes sending and receiving emails, making internet phone calls, participating in social networks and expressing opinions on social or political issues online.

Above basic skills were also present in the areas of information and data literacy skills (e.g. searching for information online, reading news sites and identifying fake news) as well as problem solving skills (e.g. online shopping, installing apps and taking online courses): these were shares of 89 and 83 percent, respectively.

The EU average was 68 percent in information and data literacy skills and 53 percent in problem solving skills.

Dutch citizens less proficient in digital content creation

The areas safety and digital content creation are slightly more difficult for many Dutch and other European citizens. In the area of safety, 72 percent of the Dutch population had above basic skills; this was 65 percent in the area of digital content creation. The EU average was 44 and 45 percent respectively.

The area of digital content creation includes among other skills the use of word processing and spreadsheet software. Writing code in a programming language is also included.

Large age gaps

Internet and computer competency among individuals varies greatly by age and education level. For example, the share of Dutch people with above basic skills was more than twice as high among 25 to 44-year-olds compared to 65 to 74-year-olds. In the age group 25 to 44 years, 64 percent had above basic competences. Among 64 to 74-year-olds, this share was 28 percent.

Among the highly educated, 70 percent possessed digital skills exceeding the basic level. This share is more than double the share among those with a low education level (31 percent). Among medium-skilled people, half had above basic skills. The digital gap is narrower between men and women. The share of men with above basic skills amounted to 56 percent, against 47 percent of women.