The digitalisation gap between SME and large enterprises continues to widen
The number of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) using artificial intelligence (AI) procedures increased by 8 percentage points to 19% between 2023 and 2024. While the share of SME in Germany using AI remains above the EU average, it is still significantly lower than that of comparable companies in Denmark (26%), Sweden (24%), or Belgium (23%). Moreover, the gap between SME and large enterprise in Germany continues to widen: while only around one in five SME in Germany uses artificial intelligence, nearly one in two large enterprise does.
Compared to 2022, the proportion of SME offering training in information and communication technology (ICT) decreased last year. In contrast, the share of large enterprises offering ICT training increased. In 2024, 78% of large enterprises provided relevant training to their employees, slightly above the EU average of 73%.
