Internet has become increasingly important in recent years and particularly so in 2020, following the COVID-19 outbreak and the related confinement and social distancing measures.
In 2020, 88% of people aged 16-74 in the EU reported they had used the internet in the last 3 months; ranging from 70% in Bulgaria to 99% in Denmark.
Although very common among the young, internet use is not as habitual among the older generation: 98% of those aged 16-24 used the internet in the last 3 months vs. 61% of those aged 65-74. While internet use remains high among the young across the EU, it varies greatly among the older age groups.
In 2020, Denmark recorded the highest share (94%) of people aged 65-74 who used the internet in the last 3 months, followed by Luxembourg and Sweden (both 91%), the Netherlands (90%) as well as Finland (88%). In contrast, only 25% of people aged 65-74 in Bulgaria used the internet in the last 3 months, followed by those in Croatia (28%) and Greece (33%).
Source dataset: ISOC_CI_IFP_IU
For more information:
- France: 2020 data not available. As a result, the EU aggregate has been estimated.
- The data in this article are based on the annual survey on use of ICT in households and by individuals; the full data from the survey is available here. Further methodological information related to the survey can be found here.
- The results above refer to individuals’ experiences during the last 3 months prior to the survey, i.e. the first quarter of 2020. Hence, the reference period refers mainly to the situation before the COVID-19 pandemic started. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the fieldwork had to be postponed or extended, and the timing of this 3-month reference period varies across countries.
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