EU countries’ digital transformation, economic performance, and sustainability analysis

Abstract

Digital transformation generates challenges and opportunities at the individual and organizational levels. Implementing digital technologies impacts all countries’ economic growth and orientation toward sustainability. This paper aims to evaluate the effects of digital transformation on the economic performance and sustainability of European Union (EU) countries. The paper employs artificial neural network analysis, structural equation modeling, and cluster analysis to investigate the relationships among digital transformation, economic performance, and sustainability. Economic performance is measured using GDP per capita, while SDG scores represent sustainability. The use of computers and the Internet in enterprises, the volume of e-commerce, and the percentages of implementing new digital technologies, such as cloud computing, Big Data, and the Internet of Things, illustrate digital transformation. The research findings reveal the extent of digital transformation in each country and the significant influence of digital transformation on economic performance and sustainability. The main drivers of digital transformation are the use of computers and the Internet in enterprises and e-commerce. However, new digital technologies exert increasingly noticeable effects, particularly in developed European countries. This study elucidates the profound implications of digital transformation on economic performance and sustainability. It underscores the pivotal role of digital technologies, especially in advanced European countries, in driving economic growth and sustainability. The results can be helpful to regulators in developing digitization strategies that underpin sustainable economic performance.