Serbia scored 64 points in a regional assessment of how digital technology translates into economic and social benefits, ranking ahead of Bulgaria and Romania while remaining below the European Union benchmark. The results identify opportunities for investment in enterprise software, digital public services and healthcare technology, where low patient adoption contrasts with relatively advanced technical infrastructure.
The ranking was published by business intelligence company SeeNext in its report, Digitalisation in Southeast Europe: Beyond Code For More Humanity. Serbia placed first among the three countries assessed, followed by Bulgaria with 59 points and Romania with 53, compared with an EU benchmark of 100 points.
The study examined digitalisation in healthcare, education, public services and workplaces. Its assessment considered both the availability of digital infrastructure and the extent to which technology improves service delivery and economic activity. Serbia’s overall position was supported by workplace digitalisation, employee technology training and the use of online public services. However, the results also revealed substantial differences between technical availability and actual adoption, particularly in healthcare.
Corporate technology skills support enterprise software demand
Serbia received 22 out of 25 points for workplace digitalisation, its highest score across the study’s categories. In 2024, 26.8% of Serbian enterprises with at least 10 employees provided ICT training, compared with an EU average of 22.3%. The figures indicate relatively strong technology capabilities among corporate employees, providing a basis for further development of enterprise software, industrial automation, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence applications.
Demand could extend across manufacturing, logistics, financial services and energy, where businesses require specialised systems linking operational processes with financial management, compliance and reporting. Business software, data analytics, automation and systems integration are among the areas relevant to companies seeking to use digital tools across their operations. Serbia also recorded comparatively strong results in online public administration. In 2025, 64.2% of citizens interacted with public authorities online, against an EU average of 71.9%. Although the Serbian figure remained below the European level, the use of online government services provides a foundation for further development of integrated public platforms and secure digital transactions.
Healthcare shows a sharp divide between availability and use
Healthcare was Serbia’s weakest area in the SeeNext assessment, with an overall score of just 7 out of 25 points. The figures on patient use of digital services were substantially lower than the corresponding EU averages. Only 4.8% of Serbian residents booked medical appointments online in 2024, compared with 39.8% across the EU. Access to personal electronic health records was even less widespread: 1.3% of Serbian residents accessed their records, against an EU average of 27.7%.
These results contrast with Serbia’s score for the availability of electronic healthcare, which reached 84 points, relatively close to the EU benchmark of 86.5 points. The gap indicates that the presence of digital systems has not translated into comparable levels of public use. Potential areas for healthcare technology investment include software interoperability, patient-access platforms, hospital information systems, appointment management and secure medical-data exchange. Private healthcare providers could also integrate diagnostic services, electronic records and digital communication with patients.
The figures do not establish the financial value of a potential market. Investment demand will depend on public procurement, healthcare regulation, data-protection requirements, institutional budgets and patients’ willingness to use digital services.
Bulgaria and Romania present different digital investment conditions
Bulgaria recorded the highest healthcare infrastructure score among the three countries, reaching 89.6 points for electronic healthcare availability and exceeding the EU benchmark. In 2024, 19.5% of Bulgarian residents accessed their health records online, substantially above Serbia’s 1.3%. Bulgaria lagged in workplace technology training. Only 9.1% of Bulgarian companies provided ICT training to employees, compared with 26.8% of Serbian enterprises.
Romania’s strongest result concerned connectivity. Household internet access reached 95.5% in 2025, but the use of digital public services and the level of digital skills remained comparatively low. Only 24.1% of Romanian citizens interacted with public authorities online, while 11.1% demonstrated above-basic digital skills. The comparison identifies different development priorities across the three markets. Serbia performed relatively well in corporate digitalisation and certain public services, while Bulgaria recorded stronger electronic healthcare availability and Romania showed high household connectivity despite weaker use of online services.
Investors assess integration, procurement and recurring revenue
The findings provide a basis for banks, venture investors and development institutions to assess opportunities in digital services. Investment priorities may extend beyond physical infrastructure, equipment and initial technology deployment towards platforms that integrate existing systems and improve measurable operational performance.
Healthcare projects require particular attention to procurement procedures, cybersecurity, personal-data protection, interoperability and recurring operating costs. Banks financing private healthcare providers and technology companies may also need to distinguish between software businesses supported by recurring contractual revenue and those dependent on individual public-sector projects. Serbia’s software engineering capabilities could support the development of specialised platforms for healthcare, enterprise management and digital public services, including solutions intended for export. Software and service models developed for the Serbian market may also be adapted for neighbouring Southeast European economies.
The commercial prospects of these activities will depend on demonstrated demand, institutional readiness and the ability of technology providers to deliver measurable service improvements. Serbia’s 64-point score, compared with Bulgaria’s 59 and Romania’s 53, places the country ahead of its two regional peers in the SeeNext index, while the gap in healthcare adoption remains pronounced. The results show that Serbia combines relatively strong corporate technology training with low patient use of online appointments and electronic medical records, despite an electronic healthcare availability score of 84 points.
