Digital Economy and Society Index1 20152
Country Profile
Ireland
Ireland has an overall score3 of 0.52 and
ranks 9th out of the 28 EU Member
States. During the past year, take-up of
fast
broadband
has
increased
considerably (subscriptions in the last
year increased from 30% to 40%), while
use of internet services has also
increased (71% use video on demand,
63% use social networking, 62% used
online shopping and 60% use online
banking, while 56% of internet users use
eGovernment actively).
More progress is needed on increasing
digital skills (only 53% of the population
have sufficient digital skills to operate
effectively online, down from 56% in
2012) and the number of skilled ICT
professionals in the economy (around half
of enterprises trying to employ ICT
specialists report difficulties doing so), as
well as in the integration of digital
technologies by enterprises (for example,
23% of businesses use electronic
information sharing technologies and 4%
1
The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) is a composite index developed by the European Commission
(DG CNECT) to assess the development of EU countries towards a digital economy and society. It aggregates
a set of relevant indicators structured around 5 dimensions: Connectivity, Human Capital, Use of Internet,
Integration of Digital Technology and Digital Public Services. For more information about the DESI please refer to
http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/digital-agenda-scoreboard
2
The DESI 2015 is constructed from indicators referring mostly to the calendar year 2014 (except when data is
not available for that calendar year, in which case the latest prior data was used).
3
DESI scores range from 0 to 1, the higher the score the better the country performance.
use RFID).
Ireland
falls
into
the
cluster
of
4
medium-performance countries, where
it performs slightly above average.
Ireland
Cluster
EU
rank
score
score
score
DESI 2015
9
0.52
0.51
0.47
DESI 2014
11
0.49
0.47
0.44
4
In the DESI 2015, the medium-performance cluster of countries comprises Austria, Belgium, the Czech
Republic, Germany, Estonia, Spain, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Portugal and the United
Kingdom.
DESI 2015 Country Profile – Ireland
Page 2 of 7
1 Connectivity
Ireland
Cluster
EU
rank
score
score
score
DESI 2015
18
0.53
0.6
0.55
DESI 2014
16
0.48
0.54
0.51
1 Connectivity
With an overall score of 0.53, Ireland ranks 18th among EU countries in the Connectivity
dimension of the DESI 2015, below the average for the EU and for its cluster.
Ireland
DESI 2015
DESI 2014
value
1a1 Fixed BB Coverage
96%
% households
(2013)
1a2 Fixed BB Take-up
62%
% households
(2014)
1b1 Mobile BB Take-up
Subscribers per 100 people
71
(2014)
1b2 Spectrum
77%
% of the target for spectrum to be harmonised at EU level
(2014)
1c1 NGA Coverage
54%
% households, out of all households
(2013)
1c2 Subscriptions to Fast BB
40%
% of subscriptions >= 30Mbps, out of fixed BB subscriptions
(2014)
1d1 Fixed BB Price
% individual gross income spent for the cheapest standalone
Fixed Broadband subscription (lower values are better)
2.2%
(2014)
rank
20

20

9

10
23

9

24
value
rank
96%
20
(2013)
60%
(2013)
65
(2013)
77%
(2013)
54%
(2013)
30%
(2013)
2%
(2013)
20
9
10
23
10
20
EU
DESI 2015
value
97%
(2013)
70%
(2014)
67
(2014)
70%
(2014)
62%
(2013)
22%
(2014)
1.3%
(2014)
While 96% of the Irish households are covered by fixed broadband this is somewhat below
the EU average. Furthermore, take-up is only at 62% of households; as such, Ireland ranks
20th in the EU on both these indicators.
Take–up of mobile broadband at 71 out every 100 people is above the EU average.
Spectrum harmonisation is also above average for the EU.
Next-generation access (NGA) coverage in Ireland, at 54% of households, is below the
average for the EU (62%). Subscriptions to fast broadband (at least 30 Mbps) have seen a
significant increase over the last year to 40% of total fixed broadband subscriptions, from
30% in 2014. Prices for fixed broadband in the Ireland are almost double the EU average,
when measured as a proportion of income, and have become relatively more expensive over
the last year.
DESI 2015 Country Profile – Ireland
Page 3 of 7
2 Human Capital
Ireland
Cluster
EU
rank
score
score
score
DESI 2015
7
0.62
0.57
0.54
DESI 2014
7
0.62
0.54
0.52
2 Human Capital
With a Human Capital (digital skills) score of 0.62, Ireland ranks 7th among EU countries for
his domain of the DESI, performing slightly better than the average for the EU (0.54), as well
as for its cluster (0.57).
Ireland
DESI 2015
value
2a1 Internet Users
76%
% individuals (aged 16-74)
(2014)
2a2 Basic Digital Skills
53%
% individuals (aged 16-74)
(2014)
2b1 ICT Specialists
3.8%
% employed individuals
(2013)
2b2 STEM Graduates
Graduates in STEM per 1000 individuals (aged 20 to 29)
22
(2012)
DESI 2014
rank
value
rank

13
75%
12

20

7
2
(2013)
56%
(2012)
3.8%
(2012)
22
(2012)
13
7
2
EU
DESI 2015
value
75%
(2014)
59%
(2014)
2.8%
(2013)
17
(2012)
At 76%, Ireland exhibits a rate of internet use amongst its population similar to that of the EU
average. The digital skills of the population exhibit significant gaps, with only 53% of the
population having sufficient digital skills to operate effectively online. This figure has also
fallen somewhat over the last two years.
While the proportion of ICT specialist in total employment, at 3.8%, is relatively high and the
proportion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) graduates is also
above the average for the EU, Ireland is lacking skilled ICT professionals. Demand for skilled
ICT professionals within the economy has been rising, while the supply is not keeping pace.
Around half of enterprises trying to employ ICT specialist report difficulties doing so. More
young people need to be attracted to ICT jobs, which provide good career opportunities, are
well paid and which are key skills for deriving the benefits of ICT for the economy and
society.
DESI 2015 Country Profile – Ireland
Page 4 of 7
3 Use of Internet
Ireland
Cluster
EU
rank
score
score
score
DESI 2015
17
0.41
0.44
0.41
DESI 2014
20
0.36
0.42
0.39
3 Use of Internet
In terms of online activities, Ireland scores 0.41 (up from 0.36 last year) and ranks 17th
among EU countries. A broad-based increase in use of internet services can be witnessed.
Ireland
DESI 2015
DESI 2014
value
3a1 News
46%
% individuals who used Internet in the last 3 months (aged 16-74)
(2014)
3a2 Music, Videos and Games
43%
% individuals who used Internet in the last 3 months (aged 16-74)
(2014)
3a3 Video on Demand
71%
% households that have a TV
(2013)
3a4 IPTV
2.3%
% households that have a TV
(2013)
3b1 Video Calls
36%
% individuals who used Internet in the last 3 months (aged 16-74)
(2014)
3b2 Social Networks
63%
% individuals who used Internet in the last 3 months (aged 16-74)
(2014)
3c1 Banking
60%
% individuals who used Internet in the last 3 months (aged 16-74)
(2014)
3c2 Shopping
62%
% individuals who used Internet in the last year (aged 16-74)
(2014)
rank

28

23
3
24

22

15

13

12
value
rank
42%
28
(2013)
23%
(2012)
71%
(2013)
2.3%
(2013)
34%
(2013)
61%
(2013)
58%
(2013)
57%
(2013)
28
3
24
20
14
14
12
EU
DESI 2015
value
67%
(2014)
49%
(2014)
39%
(2013)
13%
(2013)
37%
(2014)
58%
(2014)
57%
(2014)
63%
(2014)
The most popular online activities amongst Irish internet users are VoD (Video on Demand,
71%), social networking (63%), online shopping (62%) and online banking (60%); and the
use of these services by internet users continues to increase. However, the use of other
online services is also on the rise. In particular, the biggest increase in users has taken place
for music, videos and games (+ 20 pp.).
DESI 2015 Country Profile – Ireland
Page 5 of 7
4 Integration of Digital Technology
Ireland
Cluster
EU
rank
score
score
score
DESI 2015
3
0.47
0.37
0.33
DESI 2014
3
0.43
0.34
0.3
4 Integration of Digital Technology
In Integration of Digital Technology by businesses, Ireland scores 0.47, above the EU
average and the average score for its cluster. Nevertheless, businesses in Ireland could
better exploit the possibilities offered by electronic information sharing and Radio-frequency
identification (RFID).
Ireland
DESI 2015
value
4a1 Electronic Information Sharing
23%
% enterprises (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
(2014)
4a2 RFID
% enterprises (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
4%
(2014)
4a3 Social Media
31%
% enterprises (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
(2014)
4a4 eInvoices
14%
% enterprises (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
(2014)
4a5 Cloud
15%
% enterprises (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
(2014)
4b1 SMEs Selling Online
24%
% SMEs (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
(2014)
4b2 eCommerce Turnover
37%
% turnover of SMEs (no financial sector, 10-249 employees)
(2014)
4b3 Selling Online Cross-border
11%
% SMEs (no financial sector, 10+ employees)
(2013)
rank

21

13

2

6
7

5

2
6
DESI 2014
value
rank
22%
21
(2013)
4%
(2011)
24%
(2013)
14%
(2013)
3
4
8
n.a.
-
22%
4
(2013)
37%
(2013)
11%
(2013)
EU
DESI 2015
value
31%
(2014)
3.8%
(2014)
14%
(2014)
11%
(2014)
11%
(2014)
15%
(2014)
2
8.8%
6
6.5%
(2014)
(2013)
A true digital economy is one where businesses take full advantage of the possibilities and
benefits offered by digital technologies; both to improve their efficiency and productivity, as
well as to reach customers and realise sales. Businesses in Ireland are not fully taking
advantage of these possibilities.
The adoption of digital technologies is an important driver of labour productivity growth and
needs to be strengthened. The percentage of businesses using technologies such as
electronic information sharing (Enterprise Resource Planning – 23%) and RFID (4%), are
relatively low and Ireland ranks 21st and 13th, respectively, in the EU for these two indicators.
In terms of eInvoices and Cloud take up Irish businesses perform slightly better than the EU
average. Take-up of Social Media, at 31% of enterprises, is advanced; and Ireland ranks 2nd
in the EU with respect to this indicator. Irish SMEs have taken to eCommerce relatively more
readily than those in most other EU countries. 24% of Irish SMEs sell online, significantly
above the average for the EU of 15%. 37% of their turnover comes from this source. On
average in the EU it is 8.8%. 11% of Irish SMEs sell cross-border.
DESI 2015 Country Profile – Ireland
Page 6 of 7
5 Digital Public Services
Ireland
Cluster
EU
rank
score
score
score
DESI 2015
9
0.51
0.49
0.47
DESI 2014
10
0.47
0.45
0.45
5 Digital Public Services
With a score of 0.51, Ireland ranks 9th among EU countries in the Digital Public Services
domain of the DESI 2015, an improvement in both score and rank from the previous year.
Ireland
DESI 2015
DESI 2014
value
5a1 eGovernment Users
% individuals returning filled forms, out of Internet users in the last
year (aged 16-74)
5a2 Pre-filled Forms
Score (0 to 100)
5a3 Online Service Completion
Score (0 to 100)
56%
(2014)
32
(2014)
90
(2014)
5a4 Open Data
480
Score (0 to 700)
(2014)
5b1 Medical Data Exchange
37%
% General Practitioners
(2013)
5b2 ePrescription
5%
% General Practitioners
(2013)
rank

4

18

5
8
11
19
value
rank
45%
5
(2013)
36
(2013)
87
(2013)
21
4
n.a.
-
37%
11
(2013)
5%
(2013)
19
EU
DESI 2015
value
33%
(2014)
45
(2014)
75
(2014)
380
(2014)
36%
(2013)
27%
(2013)
Modern public services offered online in an efficient manner are a vehicle for reduction of
public administration expenditure as well as for efficiency gains for both enterprises and
citizens. While active eGovernment use at 56% is above the EU average (33%), provision of
pre-filled forms5 in online services is relatively low (32 out of 100), and where Ireland ranks
18th out of 28 countries. Conversely Ireland performs relatively well in the EU with respect to
online service completion6 (ranked 5th) and Open Data (ranked 8th).
In the domain of eHealth, 37% of General Practitioners in Ireland use Medical Data
Exchange. At 5% of General Practitioners, ePrescriptions are significantly less widely used
than is average in the EU (27%).
5
The Pre-filled Forms indicator measures the extent to which data that is already known to the public
administration is pre-filled in the forms that are presented to the user.
6
The Online Service Completion indicator measures the extent to which the various steps in an interaction with
the public administration – life event – can be performed completely online.
DESI 2015 Country Profile – Ireland
Page 7 of 7