STAT/09/176

8 December 2009

Internet access and use in 2009
One person in two in the EU27 uses the internet daily
While for young people the proportion is three quarters

In the EU27 , 65% of households 1 had access to the internet during the first quarter of 2009, compared with 60% during the first quarter of 2008, and 56% had a broadband internet connection in 2009, compared with 49% in 2008.

The se data 2 published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities , represent only a small part of the results of a survey on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage in households and by individuals in the EU27 Member States, the candidate countries, Norway , Iceland and Serbia . As well as internet use and broadband connections, the survey also covers other indicators such as e-shopping, e-government and advanced communication and content related services.

Household internet access range s from 30% in Bulgaria to 90% in the Netherlands

In 2009, the proportion of households with internet access was three quarters or more in the Netherlands (90%), Luxembourg (87%), Sweden (86%), Denmark (83%), Germany (79%), Finland (78%) and the United Kingdom (77%). The lowest shares were registered in Bulgaria (30%), Greece and Romania (both 38%).

The proportion of households with a broadband connection in 2009 was highest in Sweden (80%), the Netherlands (77%) and Denmark (76%).

Almost 40% of individuals shop online

Nearly three quarters of those aged 16-24 in the EU27 used the internet on average daily or almost daily in the first quarter of 2009, compared with nearly half of all individuals aged 16-74. The highest shares for those aged 16-24 were found in the Netherlands (90%), Denmark and Estonia (both 88%), Finland and Sweden (both 87%), and the lowest in Romania (41%), Greece (57%) and Ireland (58%).

In 2009, 37% of individuals aged 16-74 in the EU27 had bought or ordered goods or services over the internet in the last 12 months. This share varied considerably between Member States, ranging from 2% in Romania , 5% in Bulgaria and 8% in Lithuania to 66% in the United Kingdom , 64% in Denmark and 63% in the Netherlands and Sweden . In the EU27 , 40% of men had ordered goods or services over the internet, compared with 34% of women. The share for men was higher than for women in almost all Member States.

Percentage of households with internet access or broadband connections

: Data not available

U se of the internet by individuals, 2009 (%)

• The survey covered households containing at least one person aged 16-74, and individuals aged 16-74. The main reference period was the first quarter of 2009. Households were asked about internet access by any member of the household at home. Individuals were asked about frequency of internet use and about activities they had carried out on the internet in the last three months prior to the survey, or in the last twelve months for e-commerce activities, at home or at any other location.

• Eurostat , Data in Focus 46/2009 " Internet usage in 2009 - Households and individuals ", available free of charge in pdf format on the Eurostat web site. The full set of data can be found in the dedicated section: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ict under "Data".

Eurostat news releases on the Internet : http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat