Young women in Belgium now surpass young men in digital skills, according to figures released on Thursday by the statistics bureau Statbel.
In the age group of 16 to 34-year-olds, women scored higher than men in both basic and advanced computer skills in 2025. This marks the first generation where young women outperform their male counterparts in terms of digital expertise.
The overall number of people in Belgium lacking digital skills has declined significantly. By 2025, two-thirds of Belgians possessed at least basic computer skills, compared to just over half in 2021.
While men across all generations averaged higher scores than women (63% versus 59%), young women have made significant progress, bringing these figures closer together.
Among those aged 16 to 24, 74% of women and 72% of men demonstrated basic computer proficiency. This gap persists in the older bracket of 25- to 34-year-olds, with 77% of women and 75% of men meeting the same threshold.
Higher education continues to correlate strongly with better computer skills. Around 80% of highly educated Belgians passed a computer proficiency test, compared to only 33% among those with low educational attainment.
Notably, young women with lower education levels were more likely to possess digital skills than their male counterparts, according to Statbel.
Similar trends are visible across Western Europe, where young people exhibit even stronger digital capabilities. In the Netherlands, for example, 91% of young women and 87% of young men are skilled computer users.
In France, 79% of women and 78.8% of men meet these benchmarks. The European Union aims to ensure that by 2030, at least 80% of Europeans possess basic digital skills.
