ICT education - a statistical overview

Data extracted in April 2026

Planned article update: May 2027

Highlights

In the EU, more than 9 out of 10 ICT-educated people are employed.

In 2025, women accounted for 16.6% of the total number of employed people in the EU with an ICT education, up slightly by 0.6 percentage points from 2016.

In 2025, 74.8% of those employed in the EU with an ICT education had attained a tertiary level of education, representing an annual average increase of 5.2% since 2016.

Share of employed persons with an ICT education by sex, 2025

This article provides an overview of recent developments in relation to digital skills within the European Union (EU). More specifically, it presents a range of statistics that describe the composition of the EU labour force in possession of an information and communication technology (ICT) education. This is defined as those having achieved formal qualifications at least at upper secondary level within the fields of computer use, computer science, database and network design and administration, or software and applications development and analysis. Many countries now regard understanding ICT and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of core education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy, while prosperous countries, businesses and individuals are often characterised by developing advanced ICT skills as a key factor of their success.

Digitalisation and automation have transformed society and the economy with an ever-deepening impact on everyday life. With the increased application of digital technologies into a broad range of economic sectors such as manufacturing, energy, retail, transport, finance, education and healthcare, as well as the ICT sector itself, there has been rapid growth in the demand for ICT specialists. This had a profound impact on the skillset that are sought by employers across the EU, while policymakers have become increasingly concerned by digital skills shortages, which may result in less innovation, lower levels of productivity or slower overall economic growth.

General perspectives about the labour force for persons with an ICT education

The EU labour force is composed of people who are in employment and those who are unemployed. In 2016, the EU labour force (or the total number of economically active people) that were in possession of an ICT education numbered over 2.5 million people; by 2025, this number rose to 3.6 million (see Figure 1). Of these, 3.3 million people aged 15-74 years in the EU were employed and in possession of an ICT education in 2025. In contrast, there were 269 700 people with an ICT education who were unemployed.

During the period 2016-2025, the proportion of people with an ICT education who were unemployed decreased from 8.8% in 2016 to 7.5% in 2025 with the lowest point of 5.9% in 2022. In more recent years, the share has increased, while still remaining below its 2016 level. In 2025, it rose by 1.0 percentage points (pp) compared with the previous year.

Over the same period, the labour market for people with an ICT education consistently expanded, with 2 peaks in 2018 and in 2022. The first peak in 2018 saw an increase of 6.6% in the number of employed people with an ICT education compared with the previous year. In the following years, growth slowed, with rates ranging from 3.1% to 4.1%. However, in 2022, the growth rate picked up again, reaching 7.1% compared with 2021. In the subsequent years, the active population with an ICT education continued to grow, but at a slower pace. In 2025, it increased by 5.1% compared with 2024.

While employment rates among people with an ICT education remained stable at EU level, considerable differences were observed across countries

While there was an overall increase between 2016 and 2025 in the size of the EU labour force with an ICT educational background, there were various patterns of development across EU countries. In 2025, 92.5% of people in the labour force with an ICT education were employed in the EU. A majority of countries (17) displayed equal or higher values, the highest rates being observed in Bulgaria and Czechia (both 97.9%), followed by Lithuania, Malta, Croatia and Slovakia (all above 96%). By comparison, the highest shares of people with an ICT education who were unemployed in 2025 were recorded in Finland (12.0%), Italy (11.8%) and France (10.9%).

A comparison between 2016 and 2025, based on the share of the labour force with an ICT education who were in employment, reveals there was little overall change at EU level. In 2016, 91.2% of the EU labour force with an ICT education were employed, while nine years later this share was 1.3 pp higher, at 92.5% in 2025.

Between 2016 and 2025, the share of people in the labour force with an ICT education who were employed rose by 20.3 pp in Greece (to 89.9%), by 13.4 pp in Croatia (to 96.4% ), by 10.7 pp in Slovenia (to 95.1%), and by 10.3 pp in Portugal (to 92.4%) – see Figure 3. By comparison, reductions were recorded in France, where the share of those employed fell by 6.2 pp (to 89.1%), in Estonia (down 5.9 pp, to 90.2%), in Latvia (down 4.8 pp, to 89.8%), and in Sweden (down 4.7 pp, to 89.4%), among others.

Among the non-EU countries for which data are available, the most notable increases between 2016 and 2025 were observed in North Macedonia (up 12.8 pp) and Serbia (up 6.7 pp).

Employed people with an ICT education by sex

Men accounted for more than four-fifths (80%) of the total number of employed people with an ICT education in the EU

In 2025, men accounted for an 83.4% share of the 3.3 million people in the EU who were employed and had an ICT education (see Figure 4), while women accounted for the remaining 16.6%. This gender gap was observed in all EU countries. The highest shares of men among employed people with an ICT education were recorded in Czechia (92.9%), followed by Slovenia and Latvia (89.1% and 89.0%, respectively). In the remaining EU countries, the share of men ranged between approximately 70.0% and 90.0%, with the lowest share observed in Denmark (70.0%).

Women accounted for more than one-quarter (25%) of the employed people with an ICT education in Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Sweden, and Denmark, where the highest share (30.0%) was recorded.

Between 2016 and 2025, the number of employed women with an ICT education in the EU increased. On average, this number rose by 5.1% per annum during the period, while the number of men who were employed and had an ICT education increased by an average of 4.5% per annum (see Figure 5).

These developments for the EU confirm the fact that between 2016 and 2025, the number of employed people with an ICT education increased on average for both men and women in 18 out of the 22 EU countries for which data are complete. Among the remaining countries, two patterns can be observed. In Cyprus, Greece and Finland, the number of employed women decreased, while the number of employed men and the total number of employed people with an ICT education increased. A different pattern was observed in Hungary, where the number of employed women increased, while both the number of employed men and the total number of employed people with an ICT education decreased. Over the same period, the largest average annual increases in the number of employed women with an ICT education were recorded in Croatia, Ireland and Austria, with respectively 24.6%, 17.8% and 13.5% per annum.

Among non-EU countries with available data, Serbia observed an increase in the number of employed women with an ICT educational background of 6.3% over the period followed by Norway and North Macedonia (5.0% and 4.3%, respectively). By contrast, Switzerland displayed an overall decrease (-2.2%) in the number of employed people in possession of an ICT education for both men (-1.7%) and women (-5.7%).

Employed people with an ICT education by level of educational attainment

More tertiary graduates in ICT employed over time

In 2025, more than 7 out of 10 (74.8%) employed people in the EU with an ICT education had a tertiary level of educational attainment (see Figure 6). This was 3.3 pp higher than in 2016, when the corresponding share was 71.5%.

There were, however, considerable differences between the EU countries with regard to levels of educational attainment. In 2025, more than 9 out of 10 employed persons with an ICT education in Denmark (97.7%), France (96.6%), Cyprus (96.4%), Ireland (92.3%), Bulgaria (91.1%) and Croatia (90.9%), had completed a tertiary level of education. By comparison, a majority of those employed with an ICT education in Portugal (58.8%) and Italy (69.2%) did not have a tertiary level of education.

Among most EFTA and candidate countries with available data – Norway, Switzerland, Serbia– higher or comparable shares of employed people with a tertiary level of education in ICT were recorded compared with the EU average. North Macedonia also showed a higher share (67.7%), although lower than in the other countries.

Between 2016 and 2025, the number of employed people in the EU with an ICT education at tertiary level increased, on average, by 5.2% per annum. The corresponding rate of change for employed people with an upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary level of educational attainment was lower, at 3.0% per annum (see Figure 7). The highest average annual growth rates for the number of employed people with an ICT education at tertiary level were recorded in Ireland (21.3% per annum), Luxembourg (20.0% per annum), Portugal (14.2% per annum) and Croatia (11.5% per annum).

Hungary (-1.2% per annum) was the only EU country to report an overall decline in the number of employed people with an ICT education during the period 2016-2025. Similarly, there were some countries where the number of employed people with a level below tertiary education decreased. Most notably in Croatia, where it did so by 14.4% per annum, but also in Finland (-2.9% per annum), Hungary (-1.8% per annum) and Romania (-0.1% per annum). By contrast, in Greece, the share that declined was the number of people with tertiary education, by 0.8% per annum.

Among candidate and EFTA countries with available data over the period, Norway and North Macedonia recorded higher growth rates in the number of employed people with an ICT education than the EU average (6.4% and 5.8% per annum, respectively). Serbia also experienced an increase, although more moderate (4.5% per annum). By contrast, Switzerland recorded a decline (-2.2% per annum), driven by the decrease in employment for people in possession of a tertiary level of educational attainment (-3.2% per annum over the period).

Employed people with an ICT education by age

More than two-thirds (66.67%) of the total number of employed people in the EU with an ICT education were aged 15-34 years

In 2024, slightly more than 2 out of every 3 (68.2%) employed people in the EU with an ICT education were aged 15-34 years. Moreover, young people in this age group accounted for the majority of employed people in possession of an ICT education in all the EU countries. The share of young people in the total number of employed people with an ICT education in 2025 was relatively low in Finland (58.7%) and Ireland (51.6%).

By comparison, this young group aged 15-34 years accounted for more than three-quarters of the total number of employed people with an ICT education in Italy (79.6%), Latvia (76.8%), Poland (76.8%) and Slovenia (75.3%). In addition to these, 10 other countries – Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Czechia, Malta, Hungary, Greece, France, the Netherlands and Belgium – also recorded shares of young people employed with ICT education above or equal to the EU average.

Between 2016 and 2025, both age groups showed a similar average annual increase in the number of employed people with ICT education, with growth rates of 4.8% per annum for people aged 15-34 years and 4.1% per annum for people aged 35-74 years. In absolute terms, over the same period, the number of young employed people with an ICT education increased by about 717 300, while the number of older employed people rose only by 294 600. This was accompanied by an increase in the share of young people aged 15-34 years in the total number of employed people with an ICT education in the EU from 67.0% to 68.2%. At country level, the highest growth rates for young ICT-educated people were observed for Ireland (with 18.8% per annum on average) followed by Luxembourg and Portugal. In most EU countries (23) with available data for both age groups, the number of employed people with an ICT educational background increased in parallel across the 2 age categories. However, Greece recorded a decline in the number of people employed with ICT education belonging to the younger age group (-1.0% per annum); and Finland saw this decline in the older age group (2.6% per annum). In Hungary, a general decrease was observed across both age groups.

Among the non-EU countries with available data, developments were mixed. In Norway, a slight decline was experienced in the older age group, while in Switzerland, employment of people with an ICT education decreased across both age groups. By contrast, North Macedonia and Serbia recorded increases across both age groups, with a more notable rise among older people in both cases.

Source data for tables and graphs

Persons with an ICT education: tables and figures

Data sources

The data used in this article are derived from the EU Labour Force Survey (LFS). The information presented is based on microdata from the LFS and covers the population aged 15-74 years in order to be aligned with a range of other indicators relating to digital skills which are collected as part of the EU survey on the use of ICT in households and by individuals.

Within the LFS, the labour force — or economically active population — is defined as the population employed or unemployed. It, therefore, excludes people who are economically inactive, such as students, people choosing not to work, and the retired.

Employment covers people aged 15-74 years living in private households, who during the reference week, worked for at least 1 hour, for pay, profit or family gain, or were not at work but had a job or business from which they were temporarily absent, for example because of illness, holidays, industrial dispute or education and training. As such, the total number of employed people includes employees, self-employed people and family workers. The collection of statistics on employed people with an ICT education is carried out across the whole economy and no information is collected on the principal economic activity in which each person works. Likewise, the data collection exercise does not provide information in relation to the occupations/tasks that are carried out. In other words, it is possible that some employed people with an ICT education made little or no use of their studies in their work.

Unemployed people are defined by Eurostat, according to the guidelines of the International Labour Organisation, as people aged 15 to 74 years without work during the reference week who are available to start work within the next 2 weeks and who have actively sought employment at some time during the last 4 weeks.

ICT education is defined in terms of the International Standard Classification of Education fields of education (ISCED-F 2013) and covers computer use, database and network design and administration, software and applications development and analysis, inter-disciplinary programmes and qualifications. The following codes identifying ICT education background are: 061 "Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)"; 068 "Inter-disciplinary programmes and qualifications involving Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)".

Indeed, ISCED-F 2013 further clarifies that "Inter-disciplinary or broad programmes and qualifications are those which combine several detailed fields of education and training where no single detailed field dominates. Many inter-disciplinary programmes and qualifications cover several narrow or even broad fields. In this classification, the 'leading subject rule' is used to determine the broad field into which the inter-disciplinary study should be classified. That is, the leading subject or subjects determines the (broad) field." The introduction of ISCED-F 2013 together with the implementation of IESS regulation in 2021 (for more details consult the link to legislation) have impacted ICT education data series. As an exact transcoding was not possible for all variables and all past years, comparable times series are now only available from 2016 onwards.

Levels of education refer to the educational attainment level of a person, in other words, to the highest level of education successfully completed. The levels are defined in terms of the ISCED 2011 classification, with tertiary education comprising ISCED levels 5-8 and non-tertiary education comprising ISCED levels 3 and 4 (upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education). In most of the countries, diplomas in the field of ICT are not delivered in lower secondary education levels (ISCED levels 1 and 2).

For data on educational attainment based on the EU-LFS, ISCED 2011 is applied. Data is broken down into 2 educational attainment level groups, (1) upper secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education (ISCED levels 3 and 4) and (2) tertiary education (ISCED levels 5 to 8).

Data introduce an age filter for the variable that describes the field of education: the field of education is reported only for respondents who completed their highest level of educational attainment either before they reached 34 years of age or within the 15 years preceding the survey year. While this change has a marginal effect on most ICT education data, it does affect the age breakdown in the specific dataset on employed people with an ICT education by age (isoc_ski_itage).

Context

Digitalisation and automation can generate new business opportunities through the development of new production processes, products and markets. This may drive the demand for new skills in the workplace, leading to changes in education systems which may have to adapt to technological changes in order to provide students with up-to-date training and education that meets the requirements of prospective employers.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of digitalisation on education and training was much more limited. The pandemic demonstrated that having an education and training system that is fit for the digital age, is essential. Many people have since needed to acquire new skills, change sectors, or upskill to maintain employment in a rapidly evolving environment.

The EUs digital ambitions for 2030 are translated into specific targets and milestones, delineated by the https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2021-09/communication-digital-compass-2030_en.pdf Digital Compass Communication]. There is a crucial need to keep investing in the skills of the people in Europe, both to help them prosper and to ensure the competitivity of the European economy on the global scale. The Digital Decade policy programme 2030 sets up a monitoring and cooperation mechanism to achieve the common objectives and targets for Europe's digital transformation.

In 2023, skills were at the heart of European priorities with the European Year of Skills, which started on 9 May 2023 and ran for 12 months, aiming at gathering all relevant forces to work together to promote skills development, and thereby improving professional and life opportunities for people. The European Year of Skills aimed at helping to address the skills gaps in the European Union and boost the EU skills strategy, helping to reskill people with the focus on digital and green technology skills.

The Digital Education Plan and the Industrial Strategy for Europe made clear that the pathways to the recovery will be supporting the creation of a greener, more digital and resilient European Union in which the skills of the labour force are adapted to cope with a fast changing labour market. The European Year of Skills also contributed to the Green Deal Industrial Plan, to enhance the competitiveness of Europe's net-zero industry and support climate neutrality.

Explore further

Database

Digital economy and society (isoc), see:

Science, technology, digital society

Digital economy and society (isoc)

Digital skills (isoc_sk)

ICT training (isoc_skt)

Persons with ICT education by labour status (isoc_ski_itemp)

Employed persons with ICT education by sex (isoc_ski_itsex)

Employed persons with ICT education by educational attainment level (isoc_ski_itedu)

Employed persons with ICT education by age (isoc_ski_itage)

Thematic section

Digital economy and society

Methodology

Digital economy and society glossary
Persons with ICT education by labour status (isoc_ski_itemp) (ESMS metadata file — isoc_ski_itemp_esms)
Employment and unemployment (labour force survey) (ESMS metadata file — employ_esms)
LFS series - detailed annual survey results (lfsa) ((ESMS metadata file — lfsa_esms)

Legislation

External links