While the European Union rapidly digitalizes, Macedonia significantly lags behind. According to the latest Eurostat data, 71.9 percent of EU citizens use e-services of public institutions, while in Macedonia that percentage is only 32.32 percent.

Macedonian citizens are increasingly using e-government services, but are still far below the European average. The most commonly sought information involves benefits, laws, and operating hours of institutions.

The gap of nearly 40 percentage points shows the country has a long way to go to reach the European level of public service digitalization.

Experts point out that the reasons for the lag are multi-layered — from insufficient digital infrastructure and low digital literacy, to a lack of fully functional electronic services that would facilitate citizens' contacts with institutions.