Digital Decade: Italy above EU average on public services, 5G, eHealth and fibre connectivity
Butti: “Europe recognises the results achieved by Italy thanks to PNRR investments and a clear innovation strategy”
Italy has made significant progress in several areas of digitalisation in recent years, surpassing the EU average in the development of FTTP and 5G networks, the digitalisation of SMEs, and the uptake of cloud and data analytics, according to the European Commission’s fourth report on the State of the Digital Decade. The report assesses Member States’ progress towards the digital transformation objectives set for 2030 by the Digital Decade Policy Programme (DDPP).
The country report highlights Italy’s leading role in establishing a national governance framework for artificial intelligence in line with the European Union’s AI Act to ensure an ethical, transparent and responsible use of AI. It also underlines the strong academic and industrial capacity of the national ecosystem in the main pillars of quantum technologies, supported by the Italian Strategy for Quantum Technologies.
“The latest Digital Decade Report by the European Commission confirms that Italy has taken the right path and is making rapid progress: today we are among the best-preforming EU countries in the deployment of 5G, the growth of fibre connectivity and the digitalisation of public services” said Alessio Butti, Undersecretary of State for Technological Innovation. “The achievements are the result of a clear strategy, supported by investments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and by strong cooperation with local and regional authorities, businesses and public administrations. From the IT-Wallet to the National Digital Data Platform, from the Electronic Health Record to the public sector cloud, we are building secure, interoperable digital infrastructures, centred around citizens. The EU’s recognition of Italy’s approach on AI also confirms the value of our strategy, based on promoting innovation and competitiveness through clear rules, protection of rights and robust governance. The next challenge is to accelerate the training of ICT specialists to achieve similar progress to that achieved in digital skills”.
Connectivity and networks
The report identifies significant results in connectivity, supported by the initiatives implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and, notably the Italia a 1 Giga Plan (1.1).
Italy remains among the best-performing countries in terms of overall 5G coverage (99.82%), above the EU average (96.79%). The deployment of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) coverage among Italian households reached 77.56% in 2025, above the EU average of 74.13%, with annual growth (9.6%) also above the EU average rate (7.1%). However, a significant gap remains to be addressed in rural areas.
Digital public services
In the area of digital public services, Italy is aligned with the trajectory set out in the national roadmap for the Digital Decade.
Italy’s performance for digital public services for citizens exceed the EU average (84.64%), reaching 86.11%, with a 3% increase compared with 2024. Notable results were achieved in digital public services for national citizens, which reached 96.77%, above the EU average (94.01%) and close to the final target. Cross-border digital public services are also above the EU average, with a result of 75.45%.
The report notes the progress achieved through the development of the IT-Wallet digital identity system, the widespread adoption of digital identity systems such as the Electronic Identity Card (CIE) and SPID, and the strengthening of data interoperability. Actions supported by the PNRR (1.1 and 1.2) have also continued to support the migration of public services and data to qualified cloud infrastructures towards more secure, integrated, efficient and resilient public services.
The National Digital Data Platform (1.3.1) enables the secure exchange of information between more than 9,000 public administrations through APIs, with more than 1.1 billion data exchanges performed. Also, under the PNRR, Italy has promoted a package of initiatives aimed at accelerating the digitalisation of public services, improving citizen experience and encouraging the adoption of national platforms such as PagoPA and the IO app for service delivery and digital payments.
Progress has also been recorded in eHealth, reaching 89.93% - above the EU average (86.51%) - and a 6.9% increase in access to health data, driven by the rollout of the Electronic Health Record (Fascicolo Sanitario Elettronico 2.0) under the PNRR and the Health Data Ecosystem (Ecosistema Dati Sanitari). As of February 2026, 95% of general practitioners and paediatricians had transmitted digitally signed documents or managed electronic prescriptions through the system.
Digital skills
Digital skills remain below the EU average but show encouraging signs of progress, increasing from 45% to 54%, thanks to the expansion of training and support services aimed at improving basic digital skills among different population groups.
The report notes the results achieved through two strategic measures under the PNRR: the Digital Facilitation Services Network (1.7.2), which has reached 4,000 active centres (Punti Digitale Facile), providing support to around 2.5 million people, and the Digital Civil Service (1.7.1), which involved around 9,300 volunteers and reached approximately 290,000 citizens. These initiatives are consistent with the national Repubblica Digitale programme, bringing together public and private stakeholders to promote digital inclusion and the development of digital skills across society.
However, the share of ICT specialists in employment remains an area for improvement, standing at 3.8% compared with the Digital Decade target of 10%.
Artificial Intelligence
The European Commission recognises Italy’s ambition on AI, with the adoption of Europe’s first national legislative framework for AI (Law No. 132/2025) regulating the development, deployment and governance of AI systems in line with constitutional principles and fundamental rights, and consistent with the EU AI Act. The initiative builds on the Italian Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2024–2026 - while the Committee for the 2026–2028 Strategy is already established - which defines national priorities to promote research, innovation and the responsible adoption of AI across public sector, businesses and academia.