Nearly half of Italy’s population continues to struggle with digital literacy. In 2025, only 54.3% of Italians possessed at least basic digital skills - more than six percentage points below the European Union average - placing the country among the lowest performers in Europe, despite slight recent improvements. Schools play a crucial role in closing this gap, yet structural and educational shortcomings persist.
During the 2024/25 school year, just 40.7% of school buildings were equipped with computer labs. In 32.7% of schools, such facilities were entirely absent, while in 26.7% of cases the data was not reported by local authorities. Among provincial capitals, the highest availability of computer labs was recorded in Pavia, Modena, and Aosta. Access declines sharply outside urban centers, dropping to 33.8% in ultra-peripheral areas.
The findings come from a report by Fondazione Openpolis, released on the occasion of the European Data Protection Day. According to Eurostat, Italy still trails the EU average of 60.4% for basic or above-basic digital skills, though it now outperforms Lithuania, Slovakia, Greece, and Slovenia.
Among young people aged 16 to 29, the figure rises to 69.1%, yet remains below the EU average of 74.7%. Notably, Germany reports a lower rate than Italy at 65.2%. Digital competence is assessed across five key areas: problem-solving, data literacy, communication, security, and content creation. Educational attainment plays a decisive role: digital skills increase from 56.7% among those with lower levels of education to 84.7% among university graduates.
The integration of artificial intelligence in schools remains at an early experimental stage. A survey by European Schoolnet indicates that teacher training in AI-related topics is often optional or limited to pilot projects.