R&D expenditure as a share of GDP
This indicator tracks the evolution of annual research and development (R&D) expenditure as a share of GDP for the EU, US, UK, Japan and China.
Source: Eurostat (2023) rd_e_gerdtot, OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators
Patent applications per million inhabitants
This indicator tracks the number of patent applications per million inhabitants in the EU, US, UK, Japan and China. It shows 1) the number of patent applications to the European Patent Office (EPO) by EU applicants per million inhabitants; and 2) the number of patents filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) per million inhabitants by applicants’ country of residence.
The number of EPO and PCT patent applications should not be directly compared because each system provides a different geographical scope of protection, but they serve as telling indicators about the innovativeness of different countries.
Source: EPO patents: Eurostat (2024) sdg_09_40; PCT patents: OECD (2023); Population: World Bank (2024)
University rankings
These indicators show the number of universities in the global top 50 of two rankings: the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. It compares the numbers of high-ranking universities in the EU, US, UK, Japan and China.
Source: Times Higher Education, Shanghai Ranking Consultancy.
ICT specialists as a share of the workforce
This indicator measures the share of employed ICT specialists out of total employment. The definition of ICT specialists is based on the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO-08) and includes ICT service managers, ICT professionals, ICT technicians, ICT installers and servicers.
Source: Eurostat (2024) isoc_sks_itspt
Adoption of digital technologies by companies
This indicator tracks the degree of companies’ adoption of three key digital technologies: artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and cloud.
The statistics cover businesses with more than 10 employees. The AI series measures the percentage of businesses using at least one AI technology. The data analytics series shows the percentage of businesses performing data analytics (internally or externally). The cloud series measures the percentage of businesses purchasing at least one intermediate or sophisticated cloud computing service.
The indicator is calculated for all businesses in manufacturing and service sectors, excluding the financial sector.
Source: Eurostat (2023 & 2024) isoc_eb_ai [E_AI_TANY], isoc_eb_das, [E_DA], isoc_cicce_use [E_CC1_SI].
Share of businesses with online sales across EU borders
This indicator measures the share of businesses that made electronic sales to other EU countries or the rest of the world. It refers to all manufacturing and services sectors, excluding the financial sector and agriculture.
The indicator covers businesses with at least 10 employees or self-employed people, therefore excluding micro-enterprises. It distinguishes between small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large businesses. It also distinguishes between sales made to other EU countries (intra-EU) and sales made to the rest of the world (extra-EU). Higher values suggest a higher degree of internationalisation supported by digital tools.
Source: Eurostat (2024) isoc_ec_esels
Digital intensity in SMEs
This indicator measures the share of SMEs with at least a basic level of digital intensity.
The digital intensity score is based on counting how many out of 12 selected technologies are used by businesses. A basic level requires a business to use at least four technologies. The set of technologies considered by the indicator can vary between different survey years, depending on the questions included in the survey (see Digital Intensity Index (DII) composition overview 2015-2024).
Source: Eurostat (2024) isoc_e_dii [E_DI4_GELO].
Share of SMEs introducing product innovation
This indicator measures the share of SMEs (enterprises with 10 to 249 employees, excluding micro-enterprises) that introduced at least one product innovation either new to the business or new to its market. Product innovation is a key ingredient for innovation as it can create new markets and improve competitiveness. Higher shares of product innovators reflect a higher level of innovation activities.
Source: Eurostat inn_cis13_bas