Portugal is Europe’s most ‘cybersafe’ country. UK is 16th
Cybersecurity firm ESET has released The European Cybersecurity Index, an in-depth study revealing the countries in Europe with the best and worst levels of online safety.
The study looked at seven cybersecurity factors, producing a score out of ten for 24 European countries, showing that Portugal is the best for cybersecurity, while Romania is the worst.
The factors included the number of pieces of cybersecurity legislation, the percentage of each country’s residents who’ve fallen victim to bank card or online banking fraud in the last three years and the percentage in each nation whose social network or email accounts were hacked in the last three years.
The top five countries with the best cybersecurity:
| Rank | Country | Score out of ten |
| 1 | Portugal | 8.21 |
| 2 | Lithuania | 7.99 |
| 3 | Slovakia | 7.21 |
| 4 | Greece | 7.03 |
| 5 | Spain | 6.82 |
The research found that Portugal scored highest for cyber safety with a result of 8.21 out of 10, followed by Lithuania and Slovakia, who produced scores of 7.99 and 7.21 respectively. Notably, the United Kingdom finished outside of the top 10, placing 16th out of 24 with a score of 5.59.
The countries with the worst cybersecurity:
| Rank | Country | Score out of ten |
| 20 | Luxembourg | 4.40 |
| 21 | Belgium | 4.37 |
| 22 | France | 4.36 |
| 23 | Austria | 3.80 |
| 24 | Romania | 3.27 |
Romania ranked as the worst country in Europe for cyber safety with a score of 3.27 out of 10; they also have the fewest pieces of cybercrime legislation in Europe, totalling just two legislation acts. Perhaps surprisingly, Romania was joined in the bottom three by Austria and France, who scored 3.80 and 4.36 respectively.
The United Kingdom has the lowest exposure rank in Europe, with a score of 5 (lower rank indicates a higher exposure, exposure rank indicates how exposed each country is to cybercrime). Meanwhile, the UK also scored the highest for commitment to cybersecurity with a score of 0.931 (out of 1).
Says Jake Moore, Cybersecurity Specialist for ESET:
“No single measure – whether it’s the amount of legislation or the number of banking fraud victims – can tell the whole story when it comes to cybersecurity. Protecting citizens online is incredibly complicated, and there’s no one right way to do it. In practice, cyber safety can mean different things for different people, so this is not a case of ‘one size fits all’.
“Nonetheless, it’s important for nations to be aware of the actions taken across Europe and learn from one another wherever possible. A truly holistic approach to cybersecurity requires a breadth of knowledge about potential approaches, including how and when they work best.
While it’s disappointing to see the UK ranking so far down The European Cybersecurity Index, it is encouraging that the nation has scored so highly for commitment to cybersecurity. With every new initiative, we become a step closer to a safer internet for everyone. ”
The European Cybersecurity Index – full report and findings – can be found here.
