CITIZENS' SHIFT TO DIGITAL PUBLIC SERVICES - Filenews 22/6 by Theano Thiopoulou
More and more people are avoiding public service bureaucracy and using the digital applications of public services. The Digital Decade targets for the digitalisation of public services are that, by 2030, all key public services should be available online, all citizens should have access to their electronic medical records, and 80% of citizens should use an electronic identification solution. In Cyprus in 2025, 66% of people aged 16-74, during the 12 months prior to the survey on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), contacted or interacted via the internet with public authorities or public services for private purposes. The highest proportions of people using e-government (including websites related to citizens' obligations (e.g. tax return, move notice), rights (e.g. social benefits), official documents (e.g. identity card, birth certificate), public educational services (e.g. public libraries, information on enrolment in schools or universities), public health services (e.g. public hospital services) were recorded in Finland and Denmark (both 91%), the Netherlands (85%), Sweden (84%) and Estonia (83%). The lowest use of e-government was recorded in Romania (17%) and Bulgaria (27%). In Greece the percentage is 61% as in Portugal. The average in Europe is 58%.
In 2025, 60% of EU citizens aged 16-74 reported using the internet to search for health-related information, 54% searched for physical health information online, and 24% searched for mental health information. Finland (82%), Cyprus and the Netherlands (both 81%) recorded the highest proportions of people searching for health-related information online. In terms of information on physical health, Cyprus (80%) and the Netherlands (79%) reported the highest percentages. For searches for information on mental health, Sweden (64%) and Cyprus (62%) recorded the highest rates among EU countries.
As an overview, it is interesting that in the younger age groups – under 45 – the proportions of people with at least basic digital skills were higher among women than among men. Among people aged 45 and over, the situation is reversed, and the rates are higher among men. The biggest difference is visible in the older age group, where among people aged 65-74 the percentage of women with at least basic digital skills was 9 points lower than among men in this age group. In 2025, 60% of EU citizens had at least basic digital skills, with 31% of people aged 16-74 having basic overall digital skills and 29% demonstrating skills above basics. Among people with different levels of education, the higher the level of education, the higher the percentage of people with at least basic overall digital skills. The highest proportion was among people with tertiary education (82%), with 30% having basic and 50% having overall digital skills above basics. The proportions of people with at least basic overall digital skills also varied quite significantly depending on their labour market situation.
