In Cyprus in 2019 only 54% of individuals aged 16 to 74 living in a household with children under 16 years old had basic or above basic digital skills — below the EU 27 average of 64% and the fourth lowest among member states.
The figures were published by Eurostat on Thursday as it noted that during recent weeks, more and more services have moved online due to government restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many businesses have had to cease operations and schools have closed in most EU Member states, forcing schools to move lessons online.
Eurostat looked at whether the individuals living in households with children have the necessary digital skills to access these services online.
It said that in the EU in 2019, almost two-thirds of individuals (64%) aged 16 to 74 living in a household with children under 16 years old had basic or above basic digital skills. This was one percentage point (pp) higher than 2017 (63%) and up by 3 pp from 2015 (61%).
In contrast, 28% of individuals living in a household with children aged 0-16, reported that they had low overall digital skills.
The share of individuals living in a household without children with basic or above basic digital skills was by 11 pp lower (53%) compared to those living with children (64%).
Among EU Member States, Finland had the highest share of individuals aged 16 to 74 living in a household with children under 16 years’ old who reported that they had basic or above basic overall digital skills (88%), followed by the Netherlands (83%), Sweden* (81%), Germany and Estonia (both 80%).
By contrast, the lowest shares were observed in Bulgaria (32%), Romania (34%), Italy (45%), Cyprus (54%) and Poland (55%).
Data source:Â isoc_sk_dskl_i
