Digital Connectivity and Skills Differences: Assessing Digital Convergence in the Digital Decade of the European Union

Abstract

Digital transformation is a central objective of the European Union’s Digital Decade, but progress across Member States may differ substantially between connectivity, human capability, technology adoption, and public-service digitalisation. This study examines digital convergence across the 27 EU Member States during 2020–2025 using indicators from the European Commission Digital Decade monitoring framework and Eurostat. Because indicator availability differs across years, longitudinal convergence is assessed over the genuinely observed period of each indicator, while principal component analysis, exploratory clustering, and multivariate dispersion use a common complete 2022–2024 sample of seven direct digital indicators. The empirical strategy combines descriptive and correlation analysis, principal component analysis, exploratory cluster analysis, sigma-convergence, beta-convergence and catch-up tests, multivariate dispersion, and robustness analysis. The results indicate dimension-specific rather than uniform convergence. FTTP Coverage and 5G Coverage show strong reductions in cross-country dispersion and significant catch-up from lower initial levels, while Digital Public Services also exhibit clear relative and absolute convergence. Digital-capability indicators are more heterogeneous: Basic Digital Skills show no supported convergence, ICT Specialists exhibit relative convergence alongside increasing absolute dispersion and weak catch-up, and AI Adoption combines significant catch-up with wider absolute dispersion. Principal component analysis supports one dominant component rather than two statistically distinct infrastructure and capability components, while exploratory clustering identifies two broad digital profiles rather than formal convergence clubs. Multivariate dispersion declines by approximately 13.1% between 2022 and 2024, although national trajectories remain heterogeneous. The findings show that convergence in digital connectivity does not necessarily imply equivalent convergence in the capabilities required to use and benefit from digitalisation. The sustainability relevance is therefore indirect: more even digital access may support inclusive and resilient development, but its broader benefits depend on complementary human and organisational capabilities.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Sustainability, 2026 · DOI ↗