Finland ranked first in the European Commission's annual Digital Economy and Society Index (Desi), according to a joint ministerial statement from the Finnish government.

Desi regularly monitors and tracks EU member states' progress in digitalisation, with Finland found at the top of the list in recent years, ranking second in 2021 and first in 2019 and 2020.

The index is made up of four areas, including connectivity, human capital - which includes digital skills, integration of digital technologies and digital public services.

A perfect Desi score is 100, the EU average sits at 52.3.

Finland reached a score of 69.9 and was immediately followed by the countries of Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden.

According to a country-specific report on this year's rankings, "Finland is a leader in 5G commercial service provision. In contrast, the report identifies the coverage of very high capacity networks in rural areas as a challenge for Finland. A new broadband project will support the construction of fixed networks starting in 2022," the joint ministry statement said.

"Finns make heavy and diverse use of the world's best mobile data in their everyday lives. Companies have also started to take advantage of the opportunities offered by 5G. We are managing cyber security and the data economy with even more determination than before so that Finland can maintain its position as a successful digital powerhouse," transport and communications minister, Timo Harakka, said in the statement.