Spain, among the top ten EU countries in digital literacy and development
Spain has taken a big leap in digital literacy and development. According to a press releases published by Marca España, our country stands tenth in the 2018 ranking of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), the barometer of digital performance published by the European Commission. In 2014, when the ranking was first published, we stood 16th.In the 2018 ranking, Spain stands above the EU average and ahead of major European powers like Germany (14th), France (18th) or Italy (25th), only behind the United Kingdom (7th).
The most advanced digital economies in the EU belong to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands.The DESI is a composite index that summarises five relevant indicators on Europe’s digital performance and tracks the evolution of EU member states in digital competitiveness. Broken down, Spain’s performance is even better for some indicators, such as Digital Public Services, where it stands fourth, mainly as a result of the Spanish Government’s Digital Transformation Plan.
Moreover, the full report for Digital Public Services shows that our country stands fifth in eHealth Services and first in Open Data. It also shows that Spanish companies have had a positive digital evolution, climbing from tenth to seventh in the integration of digital technology.Towards 100% optical fibreThe Connectivity indicator refers to broadband market developments in the European Union. According to the full report for this indicator, 72% of Spanish households are covered by FTTP (fibre to the premises), which makes us leaders in this area and places us way above the European average, at 27%.
This is the result of two different efforts: the investment made by Internet service providers and the Next-Generation Broadband Network Expansion National Programme (Spanish acronym: PEBA), managed by the Spanish Ministry of Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda.Another Government project, known as Plan 300×100, has been devised to bring next-gen fibre optics to each and every town in Spain by 2021.Finally, according to the DESI report, 4G Coverage has expanded by 6% in Spain, while the Human Capital indicator places us 14th, close to the European average.
Click here to access the Barometer of digital performance published by the European Comission. And remember that if you are thinking about set up a company in Spain, or if you have workers in Spain, don´t hesitate to contact our team of experts.
