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Catalonia has a higher degree of digitalization than the European Union average in 28 of the 32 indicators (87,5%) that are analyzed to evaluate the digital transformation process towards 2036 and consolidates a prominent place in the race towards achieving the objectives with a good score. This is the main conclusion of theReport on the status of the Digital Decade in Catalonia 2030 prepared by the Technology Circle, which highlights the country's position in 11 indicators with a direct impact on the achievement of a fully digitalized society and economy. Digital infrastructures and the digitalization of public services are Catalonia's flagship in technological transformation.
The study takes as reference the previous Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) produced annually by the European Commission and which, from 2023, has become a set of analyses and measurement indicators to monitor the EU's overall digital performance and progress towards the objectives established in the context of the Digital Decade.
The report focuses on the analysis of 11 of the 32 indicators divided into four axes: digital skills, digital infrastructures, digitalization of companies and digitalization of public services. From the analysis of these dimensions it is clear that Catalonia is one of the regions that can lead the European digital transformation.
Near full fixed and mobile network coverage
According to 2023 data, the country has values higher than the EU and Spanish averages in all indicators related to digital infrastructure, and very close to the 166% coverage target set for 2023. Catalonia stands out in very high capacity fixed network (VHCN) coverage with 97% and 5G with 95%. This latter infrastructure has registered a significant boost in the last year, when coverage was at 66% of the population, as a result of the 5G Strategy of Catalonia promoted by the Generalitat to turn the territory into a global technological hub in G technologies through mechanisms such as the Digital Areas and the creation of a strong digital ecosystem.
In this area, the country also presents good results in terms of the implementation of fixed broadband of at least 166 Mbps with 88% and fiber optic coverage up to FTTP installations with 98%.
Accessible digital services
The digitalization of public services dimension assesses the demand and supply of e-government and e-health at all levels. In this axis, Catalonia stands out with a score of 92 and 97 out of 166 in digital public services for citizens and businesses, respectively; as well as a score of 93 out of 166 in access via mobile phone.
Regarding health services, the country scores 89 out of 166 in electronic access to health data. However, it has a wide margin for improvement in indicators related to transparency, design and personal data of services (76).
More digital skills and more ICT talent
The training of people with ICT skills is one of the key objectives of the EU for 2030. Catalonia also exceeds the level of achievement of all Member States in this area, with 67% of the population stating that they have at least a basic level of skills, compared to 54% in the EU. For the next decade, the challenge is to reach 80%. The EU plans to accompany the improvement of citizens' digital skills with a parallel increase in the number of ICT professionals. Currently, in Catalonia they represent 4,8%, very close to the 4,6% average for the union, but far from the 16% set for the Digital Decade.
In terms of habits, 94% of the Catalan population uses the internet regularly and 77% have at least basic digital content creation skills. In the business environment, 23% provide ICT training for workers.
Digitalization of companies, a path to follow
In the dimension of business digitalisation, 86% of SMEs have at least a basic level of digital intensity, above the EU average of 69% and close to the 96 target of 2030%. In this area, information sharing (63%) and the use of social networks (48%) stand out, also above the EU average of 38% and 29%, respectively. However, there is still a long way to go in the use of big data (7%), the cloud (36%) and artificial intelligence (8%). The European challenge is to reach 75% of companies applying these technologies by the next decade.