INDECS, Vol. 23 No. 6, 2025.
Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.7906/indecs.23.6.10
Digital Progress and Convergence in Europe: A Cluster Analysis of Digital Economy and Society Index Dimensions from 2016 to 2020
Jovana Zoroja
orcid.org/0000-0003-2178-2913
; University of Zagreb – Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) assesses the digital progress of selected European countries based on five main dimensions: connectivity, human capital, internet usage, digital technology integration, and digital public services. Since 2014, the European Commission has published annual DESI reports to track the digital development of EU Member States.
This study employs a cluster analysis to examine changes in DESI scores from 2016 to 2020 and to evaluate digital convergence across the selected European countries. It seeks to identify disparities in digital growth and determine whether less developed countries are narrowing the gap with more advanced ones, recognizing the pivotal role of digitalization in driving economic growth and technological adaptation.
The results indicate that digital development has generally improved across the examined European countries, with the most significant progress observed in technologically advanced Scandinavian states. Although southern and eastern countries remain behind, all have experienced growth in digitalization since 2016. The study concludes that accelerating digital transformation through effective policy measures is crucial to enhancing socioeconomic development and fostering digital progress throughout Europe.
Keywords
digital divide; DESI index; European countries; cluster analysis; digital progress
Hrčak ID:
342128
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2025.
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