Business Forum • 10 February, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Romania recorded the lowest rate of generative artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among young people in the European Union in 2025, according to data released by Eurostat.
Across the EU, 63.8% of young people aged 16–24 used generative AI tools in 2025. This adoption rate is nearly double that of the general population (aged 16–74), which stood at 32.7%.
In stark contrast, Romania reported a share of only 44.1% for the same youth demographic, placing it at the bottom of the rankings, followed by Italy (47.2%) and Poland (49.3%). At the other end of the spectrum, Greece (83.5%), Estonia (82.8%), and Czechia (78.5%) led the EU in youth AI integration.
The data highlights that young Europeans are primarily introducing these technologies into their private lives and academic pursuits. For private purposes, 44.2% of young people used AI, compared to 25.1% of the general population. The discrepancy was even more pronounced in formal education, where 39.3% of youth utilised AI tools, versus only 9.4% across all age groups.
Usage for work purposes was remarkably similar, with 15.8% of young people and 15.1% of the general population using generative AI, mainly because a large portion of the 16–24 age group has not yet entered the labour market yet.