<p>Our study focuses on analyzing the impact of the digital economy on sustainable development, taking current geopolitical risks (GPR) in seventeen developed and thirteen developing countries over the period 1990–2022. We found a lack of scientific work addressing our original issue. To address this scarcity, we synthesized previous research on the contribution of the digital economy to sustainable development, the influence of geopolitical factors on this development, and the repercussions of the digital economy on socio-economic development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis based on Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and the Human Development Index (HDI) as two proxies for sustainable development, using macroeconomic indicators, various measures of the digital economy, and a global geopolitical risk index (GPRI). We adopted the Static and Dynamic Panel methodology, revealing a significantly positive contribution of the digital economy to environmental and socio-economic development in developed countries, as well as a high positive impact in developing countries. However, it is important to note that GPR have had a negative influence on environmental performance and have degraded the Human Development Index of each country. In conclusion, we highlight the strong dependence of environmental performance and socio-economic development on measures of the digital economy and macroeconomic indicators, while emphasizing the importance of mitigating geopolitical risks.</p>