85% of EU city residents have basic data literacy

Brussels: In 2023, 85.4% of the people aged 16–74 years living in EU cities had at least basic information and data literacy skills. This share was slightly lower among those living in towns and suburbs (80.4%) and in rural areas (77.6%).

Data show that in 22 EU countries, the highest proportions of people with at least basic information and data literacy skills were observed in cities. However, in 4 countries, higher shares were recorded for people living in towns and suburbs – Denmark (95.9% of the people), Ireland (94.4%), Cyprus (90.4%) and Belgium (89.4%) – and in the case of Malta, the highest share was registered in rural areas (91.6%, low reliability).

Among EU countries, the Netherlands registered the highest shares of people with at least basic information and data literacy skills in all 3 levels of urbanisation: 97.7% of people living in cities, 97.4% among those living in towns, and 97.1% in rural areas.

Besides the Netherlands, Finland (97.7%) and Denmark (95.8%) also registered the highest shares of people with at least basic information and data literacy skills in cities. The lowest levels were recorded in Germany (77.5%), Bulgaria (78.0%) and Italy (78.2%).

Bulgaria (66.3%), Romania (71.7%) and Germany (72.5%) registered the lowest shares of people with at least basic information and data literacy skills not only in towns and suburbs, but also in rural areas (57.7%, 64.9% and 71.2%, respectively).

High shares of people in rural areas with at least basic information and data literacy skills, besides the Netherlands, were also recorded in Finland (95.2%) and Denmark (94.2%).

This news article marks International Literacy Day, observed annually on September 8. This international day was created by UNESCO in 1967 as a reminder that literacy is both a human right and a foundation for dignity.

‘Information and data literacy skills’ is one of the sub-dimensions of the digital skills indicator (DSI). It refers to the ability to articulate information needs, to locate and retrieve digital data, information and content, to judge the relevance of the source and its content, and to store, manage and organize digital data, information and content. The DSI is a composite indicator which is based on selected activities related to internet or software use. It is assumed that individuals having performed certain activities have the corresponding skills.