Success indicators for 2025

To measure Europe’s success in navigating the digital transformation, we have identified 22 success indicators. At DIGITALEUROPE we believe that these metrics take the pulse of the European digital transformation that brings benefits to society at large. We will review these indicators on a yearly basis and publish a progress report.

For each of the indicators, we have set a 2025 target which we believe is both ambitious and achievable. We will be reporting on these on a yearly basis up until 2025 in order to monitor progress.

By 2025, 90% of people who are without formal education should be regular internet users.

At the moment 61% of people with low or no education use the internet less than once a week.

By 2025, 6% of working women should be ICT specialists.

Currently, only 1.4% of women in the EU are employed as ICT specialists.

By 2025, every European household should have access to 4G.

Today, one household out of ten in rural areas still does not have this basic connectivity right.

By 2025, Members States and companies across Europe should have completed retraining 20% of the workforce, leaving only 32% of workers in need of reskilling.

Currently, an estimated 52% of workers need some form of reskilling.

By 2025, all enterprises in Europe should be providing ICT training to 30% of their employees.

Today, only 22.6% of all European enterprise do so.

By 2025, Member States, universities and business should be training specialists for the most in-demand jobs.

Including: data analysis scientists; AI and machine learning specialists; big data specialists; and digital transformation managers.

By 2025, all large European enterprises should have a clear cybersecurity strategy.

Efforts need to be made for small and medium size enterprises to implement cybersecurity strategies by an additional 20%. In 2015, only 31.6% had formally defined their ICT security policy. On this matter there is a great variance with 72.1% of large enterprises having done so against only 27.1% of small ones.

By 2025, fewer than 10% of internet users should be deterred from online purchases due to safety concerns.

In 2015, 19% of internet users were discouraged from online purchased because of security concerns.

By 2025, Europe should strive to invert the increasing gap of cybersecurity professional that it requires.

As of now, the gap is expected to rise to rise to 350,00 by 2022.

By 2025, Europe should have saved 26 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions by digitising resource-intensive sectors.

According to estimates, 15.8 billion can be saved from the electricity sector, 9.9 billion from the logistics sector, and 540 million from the automotive sector alone.

By 2025, 15% of all the material used in the economy should be recovered and re-used.

Today it is only the case for 11.7%.

By 2025, 70% of European households should have a broadband connection with 100 Mbps or more.

Today, only one out of five does.

By 2025, 5G connections should cover at least 200 million users.

By 2025, all Member States should have updated their national broadband plans to adapt to the needs of 5G and in line with EU’s connectivity objectives.

By 2025, 10% of Research and Innovation spending should be targeted at ICT technologies

Currently, only Japan meets this target with the US at 8.2 and the EU at 6.8%.

By 2025, European countries should be spending 3% of their GDP on Research & Innovation

Japan already meets that target with 3.3% spending, and in the US it is 2.8%. The EU average is 2%.

By 2025, 30% of European manufacturing industries should leverage big data analytics.

At the moment just 10.8% do so.

By 2025, 35% of internet users should order goods or services across EU borders.

Last time it was recorded that figure was a paltry 18%.

By 2025, 15% of European enterprises should be selling across borders.

At the moment only 8.4% do so.

By 2025, 75% of EU citizens should be using eGovernment services, compared to the current 52.5%.

By 2025, 30% of EU citizens should use health and care services provided online, following the example of Estonia and Finland where almost 50% of citizens take advantage of such services online.

In 2018 for the EU, this figure was a meagre 18%.

By 2025, Europe should be home to 25% of the world’s unicorns.

In 2017 we were home to just 11.6% (and nearly half of them are based in the UK), far behind the US and China.