Firm Digitalization Indicators: Russia, EU, Africa

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of firm digitalization in three key global regions: Russia, the European Union (EU), and African countries. With the accelerating adoption of digital technologies in economic processes, the topic of digital business transformation is becoming increasingly relevant. The study offers a systematic review of approaches to assessing the digital maturity of enterprises and identifies methodological differences in the application of digital indicators in different institutional and infrastructural contexts. We present a comparative analysis of digital indicators reflecting the degree of information and communication technology (ICT) adoption, the prevalence of cloud solutions, artificial intelligence (AI), automated systems, and digital strategies among businesses. The data sources used include reports from the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Eurostat (DESI index), the World Bank, GSMA, and other international institutions. Russia's digitalization vector is characterized by active government participation, which expresses through strategic initiatives and monitoring systems developed by the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications and the Higher School of Economics. Despite the high level of internet accessibility for organizations (over 94%), the use of AI and digital strategies is still limited. The fragmentation of data on small and medium-sized businesses remains a problem. The European Union, by contrast, demonstrates a consistently high level of digital maturity: on average 33% of companies utilize cloud technologies, approximately 20% utilize AI, and more than half of organizations have formalized digital strategies. The leaders are countries in Northern and Western Europe that are included in the DESI Index. As for the African region, the study faces limited data availability, but international sources allow us to outline key trends. The level of digitalization there is extremely uneven: approximately 62% of firms have internet access, while the use of cloud solutions and AI does not exceed 18% and 5%, respectively. At the same time, the mobile economy and digital platforms are rapidly growing, particularly in fintech and the agricultural sector. Infrastructure limitations, a shortage of qualified personnel, and weak institutional support remain obstacles.