From photocopies to AI: Can Greece close its digital divide?
Digital maturity or myth? Greece’s wired paradox
In 2025, the Greek government declared the country had entered the year of "digital maturity", a phrase coined by Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou in a celebratory article for CNN Greece. But does the data back this up?
According to recent figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), Greece saw significant progress in digital engagement between 2021 and 2022. Internet usage among those aged 16-74 rose from 78.5% to 83.2%, while eGovernment usage jumped from 55% to 66.4% in just a year. Perhaps most telling, over 6.3 million Greeks said they had used the internet in the first quarter of 2022, up by 348,000 people from the previous year.
These numbers reflect a nation undergoing rapid change. Since the COVID-19 pandemic fast-tracked the development of gov.gr and digital IDs, Greece has attempted to rewrite the rules of bureaucracy, data access, and public service delivery. But while digital adoption is growing, Greece’s position within Europe suggests the journey is far from over.
DESI Rankings: Still catching up
Greece ranked 26th out of 28 EU countries in the 2022 Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), ahead of both Bulgaria (27th) and Romania (28th). While countries like the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Finland scored above 95%, Greece reached only 85.49% in household internet access, just 15 percentage points below full coverage, yet still behind countries like Croatia.
Looking at DESI scores over time, Greece has made notable gains, rising from a score of 22.36 in 2017 to 38.93 in 2022. But other countries have improved faster. While Greece’s digital growth is steady, its position relative to others has barely evolved.
Bureaucracy out, AI in
The government’s answer to this anachronism? Technological catapulting. Papastergiou highlights Greece’s first-ever AI Factory, powered by the "Daedalus" supercomputer, and the deployment of digital assistants like mAigov. Already, mAigov can issue digital marriage certificates and soon it will handle declarations too.
One of the most ambitious moves is the introduction of the Προσωπικός Αριθμός (Personal ID Number), a unique digital identity replacing older fragmented records. By mid-December 2024, over 1.2 million Greeks had already received new digital ID cards. These will now include the new 12-digit ID number that enables seamless interaction with state services: no more photocopies, no more back-and-forth with ministries.
As Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis put it at the gov.gr anniversary event: “We are finally becoming a serious state. A state that respects the citizen.”
Despite improvements in digital access, one major obstacle remains: internet speed. Greece consistently ranks among the slowest countries in Europe for fixed broadband performance. According to Greece’s National Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT), over half of all users are still “stuck” on 100Mbps or lower. Only 2.1% of households enjoy speeds above 200Mbps, and just 0.2% exceed 500Mbps. Low fiber-optic penetration, under 1% nationally, and delayed infrastructure investments have left many homes and small businesses underserved.
While 5G mobile coverage is advancing rapidly, the gap in high-speed fixed connections is holding back digital services, particularly in rural areas. High monthly costs, limited availability of ultra-fast plans, and weak demand from consumers and small and medium-sized enterprises all contribute to Greece’s torpid connectivity.
Citizens respond but with caution
Still, not all trends are upward. While internet and eGovernment use surged, online shopping dropped, from 58.3% in 2021 to 53.2% in 2022. This decline may point to post-pandemic fatigue or lack of trust in digital commerce, despite Greece’s push for faster broadband and e-wallet adoption.
And even though 85.5% of households had internet access in 2022, that leaves over half a million still offline. Disparities in digital access remain stark between urban and rural areas, and older generations still face hurdles in navigating platforms like gov.gr.
“Greece is making significant progress in terms of connectivity,” said European Commission Vice President Margrethe Vestager during a visit to Athens. She praised the country’s progress but stressed inclusivity as key.
The road ahead: Digital promise or digital divide?
The Greek state’s ambitions are nothing short of revolutionary. Projects like the fiber-to-schools initiative (€250 million), the Smart Readiness scheme (€110 million), and the Gigabit Voucher plan (€80 million) aim to wire up homes, towns, and institutions across the country. The Recovery and Resilience Fund will likely accelerate this.
But a data-driven look reveals a critical question: Will digital transformation reduce inequality or reinforce it?
Greece’s digital services have come a long way but if access, skills, and trust don’t catch up, the new digital infrastructure may risk leaving too many citizens behind.