Generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) has moved from emerging technology to everyday practicality. Millions of people across Europe now rely on AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok for everything from personal use to work to education.
Gen AI tools allow users to ask questions, provide prompts such as planning a three-day trip, and create new content such as text, images, code, video, and other data based on information and patterns learned from existing examples.
In the European Union, around a third of people aged 16 to 74 will have used an AI tool at least once in 2025, according to Eurostat.
However, how Gen AI is used varies widely across the continent. So which countries are most committed to AI, and why is there such a disparity in adoption across Europe?
Among 33 European countries, usage of Gen AI tools ranges from 17 percent in Türkiye to 56 percent in Norway. Within the EU, it varies from 18 percent in Romania to 48 percent in Denmark.
More than 2 in 5 people use AI tools in 13 European countries
In the three months before the 2025 Eurostat survey, at least two in five people used Gen AI tools in 13 countries. Countries included include Switzerland (47%), Estonia (47%), Malta (46), Finland (46%), Ireland (45%), Netherlands (45%), Cyprus (44%), Greece (44%), Luxembourg (43%), Belgium (42%), and Sweden (42%).
8 countries with less than a quarter of
Excluding Türkiye and Romania, usage of Gen AI tools was below 25% in eight countries. That means less than one in four people used such tools in these locations. These countries are Serbia (19%), Italy (20%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (20%), North Macedonia (22%), Bulgaria (23%), and Poland (23%).
Among the EU's main economies, Italy (20%) and Germany (32%) are below the EU average of 33%, while Spain (38%) and France (37%) are slightly above this average.
Strong regional differences
The adoption of the AI generation in Europe is clearly divided between north and south, west and east. Northern Europe and digitally advanced countries lead the way in usage. Western Europe's performance is strong but uneven. The South, Middle East and Balkans lag behind.
Why does AI usage vary so widely across Europe?
“first, [AI] Adoption rates typically follow the country's prevailing digital infrastructure. Countries with the highest adoption rates, such as Denmark and Switzerland, are already very digitally advanced,” Colin van Noord, a researcher at the University of Leuven in Belgium, told Euronews Next.
He noted that people there tend to have digital skills, use the internet more frequently and have a general affinity for technology. Without these basics in place, it is unlikely that people will suddenly start using Gen AI.
“This is reflected in the data. In countries with low adoption rates, people are not using generative AI because they don't know it exists or don't know how to use it,” he added.
Noordt also explained that it's one thing to have access to GenAI, but it's another to understand how it can actually help you in your daily life and work. “Many people across Europe say they're not using generative AI simply because they don't know what to use it for. This shows that 'AI literacy' is a big factor,” he said.
Van Nord considered whether government action was a key driver, but the evidence is not entirely convincing. Although many countries have strong policy documents in place, implementation rates remain very low.
“This suggests that while governments can provide stimulus, it is the underlying digital culture and practical skills of the population that will have a greater impact,” he said.
Personal use of AI exceeds work-related use
On average, 25% of people in the EU used AI tools for personal reasons and 15% used them at work. In all countries covered, personal use is more common than work-related use, although the differences vary widely.
For example, in the Netherlands, AI usage is almost evenly divided, with 28 percent using AI for personal reasons and 27 percent for work. In Greece, by contrast, the difference is even greater: 41 percent for personal use versus 16 percent for work use, a difference of 25 percentage points.
Adoption rates in the workplace are much lower, Van Noort said, “probably because it's still unclear what to use to have a positive effect.”
The use of AI in formal education is the least
In the EU, only 9% of people use AI tools in formal education. Sweden and Switzerland have the highest rates, both at 21 percent, while Hungary has the lowest rate at just 1 percent.
