Status quo: ­Austria’s
digitization ­level

Austria in the European Commission’s Digital Economy & Society Index (DESI 2016)

Austria ranks 12th out of 28 in the digital index.
Österreich im Digitalindex der Europäischen Kommission (DESI)
  • Connectivity
  • Human capital
  • Use of internet
  • Integration of digital technology
  • Digitale public services

Scores are between 0 and 1: the higher the score, the better the country’s digital performance.

Austria in the five DESI dimensions

Connectivity: technological prerequisites for digitization, in particular level of development of the broadband infrastructure

Human capital: digital competences and skills, from simple surfing to ICT specialists

Use of internet: actual use of the Internet for online applications, communication and online shopping

Integration of digital technology: use of digital technology by businesses

Digital public services:
availability and use of eGovernment services

Austria compared with the leading countries

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) assesses the development of the digital economy and society in the EU countries using five dimensions and 30 indicators. Austria has average scores in three of the dimensions: Connectivity, Human Capital and Integration of Digital Technology. It scores above average in Digital Public Services, but is in penultimate place in Use of Internet.

  • EU Average
  • Average of EU countries that are “running ahead”
  • Austria

In the World Economic Forum’s Networked Readiness Index (NRI), Austria is ranked 20th out of 143 countries. The index measures the degree of digitization on the basis of ten pillars, from the regulatory environment and infrastructure to human capital and Internet use.

Strengths and weaknesses profile of Austria using DESI sub-indicators

Building on strengths

Sub-indicators where Austria is in the top ten

Sub-indicator Rank
Enterprises sending eInvoices 1
Online services offered by public administration 2
Affordability of fixed broadband 3
Number of STEM graduates 3
Open data in public administration 5
Use of RFID technologies by enterprises 7
Use of ERP software 8
Basic digital skills 9
Use of online shopping by individuals 9

 

Overcoming challenges

Sub-indicators where Austria is in the bottom 10 countries

Sub-indicator Rank
Individual usage of social networks on the Internet 25
Individual usage for music and video 24
Individual usage for video calls 24
Individual usage for messages 21
Households, that subscribe to fast broadband (over 30 Mbit/s) 23
Households, that use a fixed broadband connection 19

Level of digitization and income per capita

There is a strong positive correlation between income per capita and the digitization level of a country: the higher the level of digitization, the higher the prosperity level. Austria has potential for improvement: its degree of digitization is behind that in other countries with similar per capita income, such as Finland and the Netherlands.

Level of digitization and income per capita