Romania ranks last in the EU for the use of artificial intelligence. The gap begins with basic digital skills.

Eurostat data show that this gap stems from basic digital skills, where Romania also ranks last in the EU, and that Romania is falling further and further behind in the labour market.

In 2025, only 17.8 per cent of Romanians aged between 16 and 74 had used generative AI tools, the lowest percentage in the EU-27 and just over half the European average of 32.7 per cent. In Denmark, the country in first place, the percentage stands at 48.4 per cent. The gap is even wider when it comes to the workplace: only 5.2 per cent of Romanians have used generative AI for professional purposes, compared with the EU27 average of 15.4 per cent – almost three times less. The situation is similar for businesses. Only 5.2 per cent of Romanian firms with at least 10 employees use artificial intelligence technology, compared with 20.0 per cent in the EU27, meaning that Romanian firms currently use AI less than European firms did in 2021 (7.7 per cent).

This difference stems from a pre-existing gap in basic digital skills in Romania. Only 31.8 per cent of Romanians have basic digital skills or above, the lowest percentage in the EU27, compared with the European average of 60.4 per cent. Across the European Union, the two go hand in hand: countries where more people have basic digital skills are also those where artificial intelligence is used more widely, and Romania ranks at the bottom of the table for both.

Romania’s situation cannot be explained solely by its level of development. Bulgaria, Greece, Latvia, Slovakia and Hungary have a lower GDP per capita (at purchasing power parity) than Romania, whilst Croatia’s is equal, yet all these countries fare better in terms of both digital skills and the use of AI. Greece, for example, has a per capita GDP of 68 per cent of the EU average, compared with 78 per cent in Romania, yet 44.1 per cent of Greeks have used generative AI, which is above the European average. Nor is internet access the explanation: even amongst those who have used the internet in the last three months, the proportion of those who have used generative AI was 19.1 per cent in Romania, compared with 34.8 per cent in the EU27.

More worrying is the fact that Romania is not catching up. Between 2021 and 2025, the proportion of Romanians with basic digital skills rose from 27.8 per cent to 31.8 per cent, a slower rate than the EU27 average, which rose from 53.9 per cent to 60.4 per cent, meaning the gap has widened. At this rate, Romania would only reach the European target of 80 per cent of the population possessing basic digital skills in around 48 years’ time, not by 2030. As for businesses, the gap compared with the European average doubled between 2021 and 2025, from 6.3 to 14.7 percentage points.

Neither age nor place of residence fully explains this gap. Young Romanians aged 16–24 also rank last in the EU for the use of generative AI, at 44.1 per cent compared with the European average of 63.8 per cent, whilst Romanian school pupils and students also rank last, at 53.5 per cent compared with 72.0 per cent. The only group that comes close to the European average is that of people with higher education (41.0 per cent compared to 49.0 per cent), but Romania has the lowest proportion of young people with tertiary education in the EU.

At a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the nature of jobs, the lack of basic digital skills risks turning a technological lag into a new source of inequality, both between Romania and the rest of Europe, and within Romanian society itself. Without substantial investment in education and adult learning, the productivity gains brought about by new technologies will bypass a large proportion of Romania’s workforce.

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Data source: EUROSTAT

· Individuals – use of generative AI tools [isoc_ai_iaiu]

· Individuals with basic or above-basic overall digital skills by gender [tepsr_sp410]

· Artificial intelligence by enterprise size class [isoc_eb_ai]

· GDP per capita in PPS [tec00114]

Data processing and text drafting: Daniel Sandu

Infographic: Pascalone Media SRL

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