1. Presentation

This report on DESI for the Basque Country 2018 continues the work carried out last year when this European indicator was adapted to the Basque reality for the first time. In this case, the analysis is presented in a shorter report with the aim of showing the results in a more synthetic way. In addition, this year’s report includes comparable data from the previous year, and therefore provides a particularly interesting analysis of the evolution that has taken place in these two years.

The DESI, or the Digital Economy and Society Index, allows us to measure the degree of digitisation of a territory, as well as to track its development over time. It consists of 34 indicators that are grouped into five dimensions: connectivity, human capital, use of Internet services, integration of digital technology and digital public services. Between the dimensions level and that of the indicators there is another intermediate level, that of the sub-dimensions. Based on the absolute value of the indicator, a series of standardisation processes and weightings are carried out to obtain the final DESI indicator.

The DESI has been created to measure the digitisation of EU Member States, and thus its configuration follows a state-level approach. This generates certain limitations in terms of adapting it to a regional level, not only in terms of statistical sources but also in obtaining specific indicators such as those related to administration services.

Another difficulty concerns the methodological changes (DESI 2018. Digital Economy Society Index, Methodological Note, May 2018). These changes have entailed readjustments in the DESI of previous years (in the DESI 2017 for the case of the Basque Country), because the inclusion of new indicators or the elimination of others from one year to the next means that the past DESI has to be updated for the comparative analysis to remain valid. Consequently, when it comes to updating the DESI 2017 for the Basque Country, new indicators have to be incorporated (those included in the DESI 2018), which were not included in its initial calculation. This causes certain problems for specific indicators, such as those obtained through primary information sources (this is the case for most of the digital public services indicators). Therefore, these indicators must be estimated.

The analysis of the DESI 2018 in the Basque Country is presented in two sections. In the first section, the results of this year are shown in level order, i.e. starting with the DESI and continuing with the description of the dimensions, sub-dimensions and finally the indicators. The figures show the Basque Country’s position in relation to the set of EU-28 countries. For the levels of sub-dimensions and indicators, the results are presented in tables with the objective of summarising the data. The values used as a reference are those of Spain, the leading country and the average of the EU-28.

The second section shows a summary table where the results of the indicators, sub-dimensions and dimensions of 2018 and 2017 are compared. The results are given in absolute values (or weighted in the case of sub-dimensions and dimensions) and focus on the relative position of the Basque Country in relation to the set of EU-28 countries. Its percentage variations are also calculated.