The UK has been ranked as one of the top countries in Europe for digital accessibility, according to new research.
The study by Nexer Digital assessed the digital accessibility maturity of all 27 EU member states and the UK to meet upcoming accessibility requirements.
The findings come as Europe ramps up its efforts to ensure that online services and digital platforms are accessible to all, ahead of the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming into effect in June 2025. The legislation will expand the accessibility standards already mandated for public sector websites under the Web Accessibility Directive (2018) to include private sector organisations.
Countries were evaluated on their preparedness for these changes, with rankings based on the adoption of legislation, enforcement, public awareness, training availability, user engagement and innovation. The UK, alongside Sweden, Finland and Denmark, emerged in the top tier as a leader in accessibility.
The rankings, however, expose stark contrasts in digital accessibility across the continent.
Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the UK lead the way in Tier 1, having implemented robust accessibility standards and actively monitoring compliance. They also show strong user engagement and innovation.
In Tier 2, four countries – Estonia, Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands – have made significant progress in enforcing accessibility laws but face gaps in areas such as user engagement or innovation.
Tier 3, which includes France, Spain, Italy and Austria, comprises nine nations which have adopted accessibility legislation but have yet to fully implement or enforce it consistently.
Seven countries – Portugal, Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia – fall into Tier 4, which have some accessibility policies in place but enforcement is insufficient, and public awareness remains low.
Finally, Tier 5 is occupied by Malta, Cyprus and Poland, which are in the early stages of building accessibility policies and frameworks and compliance with the Web Accessibility Directive is low.
The report highlights some country-specific struggles. Italy, for example, has enacted accessibility legislation but suffers from weak enforcement, leaving many public sector websites non-compliant. Malta, which has yet to achieve widespread compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), faces an uphill battle in preparing for the demands of the EAA.
Danny Lancaster, who led the research at Nexer Digital, said the findings highlight the need for greater urgency across Europe to ensure no one is excluded online. “Countries like the UK have shown that strong legislation, coupled with public engagement and innovation, can drive significant progress. But many nations still lack the infrastructure and commitment needed to meet accessibility standards.
“That said, organisations in Tier 1 countries like the UK must avoid complacency. Being a leader in accessibility rankings does not mean the work is done. The WebAIM Million Report 2024, for example, highlighted many UK websites having accessibility errors on their home pages. Even in top-performing countries, there remains a lot to do to ensure digital services are truly inclusive across all sectors.”
