Individuals who wrote code in a programming language by sex (2025)

This chart, from the Eurostat publication 'Young people – digital world' (March 2026), illustrates the percentage of individuals aged 16–29 who wrote code in a programming language in 2025, disaggregated by sex. The data reveal a significant 'digital creation gap', with the EU average for young men (19%) being more than double that for young women (9%). A significant trend emerges in the disparity between technical consumption and technical production. While previous Eurostat data showed near-universal social media participation, the percentage of young people capable of programming remains low, peaking at around 30–32% for males in Ireland and Norway. In several major economies, the gender gap is extreme: in Ireland, male programmers outnumber female programmers by a ratio of six to one (31% versus 5%), while in Portugal, the ratio is almost three to one. Notably, the data identifies Albania as a unique outlier, where young females (24%) significantly outpace young males (15%) in programming skills.