Additional Data and Indicators

Key Messages

The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI)

Over the past year, all EU countries improved their digital performance. Finland, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands scored the highest ratings in DESI 2020 and are among the global leaders in digitalisation.

Times Higher Education Reputation Rankings 2021

According to the new THE Ranking, University of Oxford (UK) comes first, followed by Stanford University and Harvard University, both from the United States. The best university in the EU is LMU Munich, in Germany, ranking 32.

Education at a Glance 2020

According to the new Education at Glance 2020, published by OECD, total spending on educational institutions has increased at a lower rate than GDP. At the tertiary level, total spending amounted to USD 16 300 per student in 2017 on average across OECD countries. At this level, 68% of total spending comes from public sources compared to 90% at lower levels of education.

Share of young people with basic or above basic digital skills, 2019

In 2019, 80% of young people aged 16 to 24 in the EU had basic or above basic digital skills. Croatia (97%), followed by Estonia and Lithuania show the higher shares, while Romania and Bulgaria the lowest shares.

Investing in Europe – Private Equity activity 2019

According to the latest figures published by Invest Europe, the total equity amount invested in European companies increased 10% year-on-year to €94bn in 2019 - the highest level of investment ever recorded. Venture capital reached €11bn in 2019, a 19% growth from 2018.

Which EU country is the biggest producer of bicycles?

According to the Eurostat, in 2019, the EU produced over 11.4 million bicycles, representing a 5% increase on the previous year. Portugal was the largest producer of bicycles, manufacturing 2.7 million bicycles, followed by Italy (2.1 million) and Germany (1.5 million).

Mobile tertiary students from abroad in the EU

In 2018, mobile students from abroad who undertook tertiary-level studies in the EU represented 8% of all enrolled tertiary students. Luxembourg had the highest share of mobile tertiary students from abroad (48%). the lowest shares were observed in Croatia and Greece (both 3%).

EPO’s Annual Review 2019 published

The European Patent Office received 181 406 European patent applications in 2019, up 4.0% over 2018. Growth was mainly fuelled by the strong increase in filing volumes from China, the US and South Korea, with patent applications from the EPO countries also growing. This confirms that the European market remains key to the global economy’s ongoing digital transformation.