Media News - Friday, December 16, 2011

Internet never used by 24 percent of EU population

Around half the citizens of Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal have never used the Internet. In comparison, over 90 percent of the populations of the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark have access. The figures come from a study [PDF] by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. According to the BBC the survey covered 214,580 16 to 74-year-olds living in 149,331 households. The 24 percent who remain unconnected to the Internet in 2011 compares with 42 percent in 2006. [The report] suggests that more than half of EU citizens use the internet every day or almost every day, while just over two-thirds use it at least once a week. Men were slightly more likely to use the internet regularly—75 percent versus 65 percent logging on once every seven days. The statisticians also noted a shift towards broadband use. Sixty-eight per cent of households across the EU used fast-speed connections rather than slower dial-up access. That was more than double 2006's 30 percent figure. The UK led the way in e-commerce. Eighty-two per cent of its internet users had ordered goods or services over the net for private purposes over the past 12 months. That compared with an EU-wide average of 58 percent. (Wall Street Journal blog)

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