- All leading countries in digital security are based in Europe
- Britain has lost ground in cyber security
- Surfshark says developments in artificial intelligence are crucial
Do you think your data is equally safe, regardless of your country? Then you might want a new way of thinking, where Europe is now definitively at the forefront of digital security, and Britain is losing ground.
The data comes from Surshark, which recently released its Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) 2025. The creator of one of the best VPNs surveyed 121 countries, using sources including open source data from the UN and the World Bank, to assess five pillars: internet quality, internet affordability, digital security, digital infrastructure and AI.
While it is good to see European countries leading the way in digital security, the results show that the UK is lagging behind as these nations have improved even more significantly – and the gap could widen in the next year. If you’re looking to beef up your level of protection, Surfshark’s Black Friday VPN deal can help you get ready for the fallout.
Where are you safer online?
In the index, digital security is defined as the level of security that people experience online, reflecting a country’s preparedness to fight cybercrime and its commitment to protecting online privacy. The results reveal that all the countries at the top of the digital security ranking are located in Europe.
Even better, Estonia, Germany, France and Finland are also among the top 10 countries leading the rankings in terms of digital sovereignty, with Finland in first place for maintaining the best digital quality of life in the world.
“Finland, like many other European countries, uses the GDPR, which offers the highest standard of data protection,” Emilija Kucinskaite, senior researcher at Surfshark, told TechRadar.
But Britain has a completely different story. Although it also scored highly on data protection, its cybersecurity pillar was ranked 39th globally, indicating significant gaps and revealing signs of a sharp decline since 2024, when its cybersecurity capabilities were ranked 6th.
The UK has also lost ground in the global DQL index, now in 18th place behind countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and South Korea.
While the sharp shift may sound alarming, Kucinskaite reassures that the data needs to be put into context and that Britain is improving in all areas, but not at the same pace as other countries that have made greater progress.
However, Kucinskaite warns that if the UK’s rate of improvement lags behind other nations, its results could fall further in the following year.
From a global perspective, it is interesting to note that Europe shows the smallest difference in digital security scores, with the top-ranked country, the Czech Republic, achieving a score 2.5 times higher than Belarus, which is at the bottom of the regional ranking.
Meanwhile, Asia sees the biggest difference in digital security, with the top country (South Korea) scoring 23 times higher than the bottom country (Yemen).
The AI factor
While the UK may struggle to keep pace with other countries’ faster digital progress, the data shows that the UK is rapidly advancing in artificial intelligence, sitting 4th in the league table.
As a leader in artificial intelligence, the UK is an attractive destination for investment in the sector and is demonstrating a willingness to integrate artificial intelligence into public services, which also means further strengthening its cyber security capabilities.
In addition, Kucinskaite notes that the UK offers a particularly advantageous combination in digital security, being at the forefront of AI while offering the highest level of data protection, suggesting good resilience against potential cyber threats.
“However, as many nations now increase their investment in artificial intelligence, the UK must maintain its current competitive position,” stresses Kucinskaite.
Not surprisingly, the US positions itself as the global leader in digital infrastructure and AI development, followed by Singapore and South Korea. Here’s AI, where Europe is lagging alarmingly behind.
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