The new European Data Market study aims to continue to offer a meaningful and comprehensive understanding of the main characteristics of the EU data economy. In addition, activities will be dedicated to providing reports about various aspects of the European data economy including quantitative facts and figures not yet covered by the indicators themselves. Finally, activities on the development of the community of data-related stakeholders across Europe will be further supported with regular updates on the EU data landscape.
Final report on policy conclusions
The year 2023 started under contradictory trends which increase the macroeconomic uncertainty: energy prices are stabilizing, but the Russia-Ukraine war is continuing, inflation is coming down, but not as fast as expected, international trade is resuming, but supply chains are being reorganized and international relations are more tense than ever. However, as foreseen by most observers (the ECB, OECD, IMF, WB), in 2023 advanced economies have seen a slow growth.
This report presents an overview of the key indicators of the European Data Market Monitoring Tool in the light of the current data policy landscape and interprets the three proposed scenarios based on planned policy measures and on varying macro-economic and political conditions.
Second report on policy conclusions
This report presents an overview of the key indicators of the European Data Market Monitoring Tool in the light of the current data policy landscape and interprets the three proposed scenarios (the Baseline Scenario, the High-Growth Scenario and the Challenge Scenario) based on planned policy measures and on varying macro-economic and political conditions.
The main storylines of the scenarios have been updated to consider recent disruptive events, specifically the potential consequences of the Russia-Ukraine war and the worsening macroeconomic conditions.
First report on policy conclusions
The analysis conducted in this report followed three paths of potential development in Europe: the Baseline Scenario, the High-Growth Scenario and the Challenge Scenario. The ongoing international tensions, the rampant inflation, and the uncertainty around possible new COVID variants that could emerge and hit back in Autumn 2022, could alter the expected growth as foreseen by the three scenarios.
For this reason, we have revised our projections for the European Data Market and the Data Economy in the EU27 for the year 2030 according to the three scenarios presented in our study. All in all, however, we have not found major impacts notwithstanding an overall worsening of growth projections for both indicators.
Final Report on Facts & Figures
This report presents the third and final round of measurements in 2023 of the European Data Market Monitoring Tool following up on the First Report on Facts and Figures and the Second Report on Facts and Figures published in February 2022 and in February 2023 respectively.
In continuation with the previous rounds of measurement, the Final Report on Facts and Figures focuses on the following six indicators: 1) the number of data professionals (including the number of data scientists); 2) the number of data companies and data user companies (including the number of start-ups and SMEs); 3) the revenue generated by data companies (including start-ups and SMEs); 4) the size of the data market; 5) the value of the data economy; and 6) the data skills gap (including the data scientists’ skills gap). The indicators are presented along three potential scenarios of evolution by 2030 based on alternative development paths that were modelled on possible different evolutions of a set of key underpinning factors (such as the macroeconomic factors, policy and regulatory conditions, supply-demand dynamics of the market of data and global megatrends).
This report embraces the data economy beyond the European Union and includes a specific section on four non-European countries, namely the United States, the People’s Republic of China, Brazil and Japan.
Complete figures presented in the report
Second Report on Facts & Figures
This second report presents the results obtained through the second round of measurements of the European Data Market Monitoring Tool. It covers the years 2020-2022 with a Baseline for 2025 and 2030 under three alternative scenarios.
In line with the previous round of measurements, each indicator is measured at the level of the entire EU and for each individual Member State, when available and applicable. When possible, industry-specific and company-size views are also offered with indicators provided by industry sector and company size bands. The UK and Switzerland were measured separately, as were the EEA countries (Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein) in an aggregated way. This report includes a specific section on four non-European countries, namely the United States, the People’s Republic of China, Brazil and Japan.
Complete figures presented in the report
First Report on Facts & Figures
This report presents the results obtained through the first round of measurements of the European Data Market Monitoring Tool. When presenting the forecasts of the indicators measured in this report, under three distinct scenarios, this document includes the results for 2025 and 2020.
It focuses on a number of indicators, such as the incidence of the data economy on GDP or the data professionals skills gap. Each indicator has been measured for the total EU27 and for all the EU27 Member States when available and applicable; industry-specific and company-size views are also offered, with indicators provided by industry sector and company size band, when possible. The UK and Switzerland were measured separately, as was the EEA (Norway, Iceland, and Lichtenstein), in an aggregated way. Moreover, a select number of indicators has been developed and updated for four non-European countries — namely, Brazil, Japan, the United States and China.
Complete figures presented in the report
Data stories
Predictive Data-Driven Policymaking
The data and digital technologies have the potential to transform routine tasks and enhance service delivery to citizens and other stakeholders. In the 21st century, governments face the challenge of meeting citizens' rising expectations, managing increased budgetary pressures and addressing emerging policy issues which could significantly impact the public trust, if not properly addressed. Predictive data-driven policymaking plays a crucial role in providing support for improved public service provisions and policymaking.
The data story provides an overview of public sector initiatives based on emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and blockchain), and three deep-dive case studies.
The European Health Data Space – Data for Healthcare
Through qualitative and quantitative primary research, existing desk research and a set of interviews with key decision makers and opinion leaders, including executives from healthcare agencies, research, and life sciences organisations, this story investigates the current role of the EHDS and its potential to unlock the value of healthcare data and reap the benefits of large-scale digital transformation across Europe’s healthcare systems.
Thanks to greater standardization, common infrastructures and governance framework, the EHDS can help bridge the digital health maturity gap among healthcare organisations, promising substantial advantages for patients, national healthcare systems and the broader healthcare economy.
Data for Mobility
This study delves into the dynamic market trends shaping the future of mobility, focusing on
three key facets: customer experiences, traffic and transportation operations, and
ecosystem collaboration. For each attribute, the study provides a comprehensive analysis,
encompassing demand-side trends, supply-side contributors, and illuminating case studies.
Its insights and findings are designed to empower decision-makers to make strategic
choices regarding the future of mobility customer experiences, operations, and ecosystem
collaboration.
Data4Food: How Data Economy Trends Impact the Food System
This data story provides an overview of data start-ups active in the agri-food area, and a number of
case studies:
- one of the showcases provides some insights into how data intermediaries (DjustConnect
data exchange platform) can make the agri-food sector thrive using the data in a legal, ethical and fair data exchange process. - the second showcase provides relevant information on how using smart trays improves the food supply chain and contributes to reducing food waste.
- the third showcase (AgriFood Data Space Finland) promotes and initiates data-sharing activities between the stakeholders of agriculture and food systems to concretely help the agri-food industry in Finland.
- the fourth showcase (DIH AGRI-FOOD Data Space, Slovenia), a federally organised data-sharing platform, allows any interested data owner, data provider or any stakeholder from the agri-food sector to provide/share data or use data through the platform, using pre-known policies and rules defined by the data governance model.
Digital Sovereignty in the EU: A convoluted Journey
This paper proposes an overview of the concept of digital sovereignty and attempts an analysis of its practical dimensions in Europe today leveraging both the emerging academic literature on the topic, as well as the results of in-depth interviews with key stakeholders involved in the design and implementation of digital policies. The aim of the research is to apprehend the concept of digital sovereignty, as well as its consequences and impacts on the data economy, along the different perspectives of a varied set of stakeholders.
The present research suggests the adoption of an empirical definition articulated along a three-dimensional framework:
- the privacy and data protection dimension of digital sovereignty axed on the ability for European organisations and citizens to control their own data and digital lives;
- the cybersecurity dimension of digital sovereignty centered on the need to promote a unified and effective cyberspace to counter Europe’s digital structure overdependence on few and non-European technology providers;
- the strategic/geopolitical dimension of digital sovereignty with the aim to promote a European alternative to the EU’s economic and ideological rivals in the digital space at global level.
Data for energy
Energy policy has taken centre stage due to the strategic goals of the Green Deal and the events related to Russia’s war on Ukraine. Energy production and consumption make up 75% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU, hence increased energy efficiency and green energy play a major role in achieving the net zero emissions targets by 2050. Data and digitization are essential to this transition, as recognized by recent EU policies.
This data story provides an overview of data start-ups active in the energy area, and three deep dive case studies that focus on:
- reduced energy consumption by using smart meter data;
- participatory grid management through large scale and collaboration between all players in the energy value chain;
- new metrics on energy consumption of SMEs.
Data sharing in construction
This deliverable of the study develops an in-depth understanding of data sharing practices in the construction sector and the challenges ahead in the form of a quantitative story.
The main goal of the story is to produce a descriptive analysis the main critical issues of the development of the EU data economy and society in the construction sector, complementing the European Data Market statistical indicators with qualitative and quantitative evidence based on a case study and expert analysis.
More specifically, the report provides information on:
- what data is produced and can be potentially be reused
- how to support and increase the development of standards
- data certification by third parties to avoid fake data
- how to share data with the client and the authorities
- how to share data in new business models
- how to share data in user communities/cloud platforms: advantages, challenges and dangers
- how to upscale micro SMEs that constitute an important part of the construction sector.
- policy recommendations.
Data4Green
This deliverable shows that data analytics is present across all the priority areas of the European Green Deal with a wide range of impacts. It can help with mitigation, for instance by reducing carbon emissions through precision agriculture. And it can help with adaptation, for instance by better predicting floods.
This data story consists of three main parts:
- The opportunities of Data4Green with an overview of the relevant European policy context, an explanation of the green data value cycle, a taxonomy of data-driven applications for the green transition, a reflection on the expected impact of such applications and a look at several startups that are active in the described domains.
- Specific cases on the ground to provide a more profound insight into the mechanisms through which data can impact the green transition.
- Policy implications deriving from the analysis of the opportunities and challenges in the preceding sections.
Skills for Data: How to Overcome Skills Gaps and Develop Competent Data Professionals
- This Story is the result of the research done on the great divide between the digital skills and the data workforce in the EU.
- It demonstrates through five case studies, each of which offers a unique and cross-sectoral perspective from the private sector, examples on how to develop data-driven professionals and thus enable European business success.
EU Data Landscape reports
- The reports aim to capture the European data phenomenon and, at the same time, to provide insights on how stakeholders in the data economy develop year by year.
- The Data Landscape provides a solid mapping of the main key players in the data economy. It uses objective and well-defined criteria to select the most promising big data companies in Europe with a special focus on the 'key data companies' category.
- The mapping exercise is a dynamic process that closely follows the trends in the data economy (fintech, internet of things, artificial intelligence, secondary use of data, etc.) and aims to align with the trends and research results.
Final EU Data Landscape report:
Second EU Data Landscape report:
First EU Data Landscape report:
Related documents:
Inception report: it specifies the taxonomy and the methodology to be used during the lifetime of the study contract, as well as detailed information on the resources and objectives in accordance with the indications provided by the European Commission.
Expert webinar - Common European Data Spaces and the Data Economy
Thursday, 3 November 2022
11:00 – 12:15 CET
Microsoft Teams
More details are available here: Common European Data Spaces and the Data Economy | Shaping Europe’s digital future (europa.eu)
Previous Data Market Studies
The results of the previous studies are available at: