Malta can boast the highest percentage of computer graduates in the EU, as its focus on investing massively in the ICT sector over the past decade appears to be paying dividends.

Figures published yesterday by Eurostat show that over a four year period, Malta also registered the highest increase in the number of computer graduates in the bloc. According to surveys commissioned by the EU’s statistics office, back in 2005 only 1.9 per cent of all local graduates were in ICT-related fields but by 2009 the figure had gone up to 5.6 per cent. In the EU on the other hand, the average number of ICT graduates shrink to 3.4 per cent from four per cent in 2005.

While Austria was on a par with Malta, the laggards were Italy and Portugal with only 1.3 and 1.7 per cent of their graduates specialising in ICT.

Statistics show that the Maltese are getting more and more computer savvy. In 2011, 72 per cent of those aged between 16 and 74 used a computer, which is two per cent lower than the EU average. Among those in the 16-24 age bracket, the percentage of users was at 98 per cent – two percentage points higher than the EU average.

Over the past decade, Malta has invested heavily in building up its ICT infrastructure and instilling an ICT culture particularly among the young.

Various schemes were introduced to make it easier to access the internet while classrooms in all state schools have been equipped with ICT. Malta has also developed an-advanced e-government system which provides easy access to public services via the net.