Italy Struggles to Keep Pace with EU in AI Adoption and Digital Literacy
ROME, May 21 (Reuters) – Italy is facing a significant gap in artificial intelligence adoption and digital skills compared to other European Union countries, according to a report released by the national statistics bureau ISTAT on Wednesday.
The data reveals that merely 8 out of 100 Italian enterprises utilized AI in the previous year, positioning Italy behind France, Spain, and significantly trailing Germany’s adoption rate of nearly 20%. This disparity highlights Italy’s ongoing struggle with slow economic growth and a lack of digital proficiency.
ISTAT’s comprehensive annual report also underscored that Italy falls short of European targets in digital know-how. As of 2023, only 45.8% of Italians aged 16-74 possessed at least basic digital skills. This figure is below the EU27 average of 55.5% and significantly lower than the European target of 80% by 2030.
The situation is more dire in Italy’s economically underdeveloped southern regions, known as the Mezzogiorno, where the percentage of individuals with basic digital skills drops to 36.1%. This regional disparity compounds Italy’s economic challenges, which are further exacerbated by a deepening demographic crisis.
The brain drain of young, educated Italians seeking opportunities abroad continues to be a concern. In 2023, 21,000 graduates aged 25-34 left Italy, representing a 21.2% year-on-year increase. Over the past decade, Italy has experienced a net loss of 97,000 qualified young workers.
Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government recently revised its full-year 2025 growth forecast downward to 0.6% from the previously set target of 1.2%. This adjustment reflects the mounting uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade tariff policies and their potential impact on Italy’s economy.
In the first quarter, Italy’s economy managed a 0.3% growth from the previous quarter, based on preliminary data. The challenges in digital adoption and the ongoing brain drain of skilled workers continue to pose significant hurdles to Italy’s economic recovery and growth.
