Archive:The EU in the world - digital society

This Statistics Explained online publication has been archived. The latest edition, Key figures on the EU in the world – 2023 edition, can be found on the Eurostat website.

Data extracted in January and February 2020.

Planned article update: February 2023.

Highlights

The number of fixed broadband subscriptions relative to population size in the EU in 2018 was among the highest across the G20 members, only lower than in South Korea, the United Kingdom and Canada.

In 2018, around 19 out of 20 individuals in South Korea and the United Kingdom used the internet, the highest shares among the G20 members.

Individuals using the internet within the previous three months, 2008 and 2018
(%)
Source: Eurostat (isoc_ci_ifp_iu) and the International Telecommunication Union

This article is part of a set of statistical articles based on Eurostat’s publication The EU in the world 2020. It focuses on living conditions and social protection in the European Union (EU) and the 16 non-EU members of the Group of Twenty (G20). The article covers two indicators related to the information society, focusing on the availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their use by individuals and within households. It gives an insight into developments in the EU in comparison with (most of) the major economies in the rest of the world, such as its counterparts in the so-called Triad — Japan and the United States — and the BRICS composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Full article

Broadband subscriptions

Broadband telecommunications transfer data at high speeds. The technologies most widely used for fixed broadband internet access are digital subscriber line (DSL) and its variations (xDSL), cable modem (connection to a local television line) or fibre.

Relative to population size, the number of fixed broadband subscriptions among the G20 members was quite diverse (see Figure 1). South Korea had 42 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2018, followed by the United Kingdom with 40 and Canada with 39. Several other G20 members — the EU-27, the United States, Japan, Australia and China — reported between 29 and 34 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. At the other end of the ranking, Turkey, Brazil and Mexico (15 or 16 per 100 inhabitants) had fixed broadband subscription rates that were close to the world average (14 per 100 inhabitants) while Indonesia, South Africa and India had 3, 2 and 1 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants respectively. Between 2008 and 2018, all G20 members reported growth in fixed broadband subscriptions relative to population size, with the strongest growth in absolute terms reported for China (an extra 22 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants), Saudi Arabia, Russia (both 16 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants more), the EU-27 and the United Kingdom (both 12 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants more).

Figure 1: Fixed broadband subscriptions, 2008 and 2018
(per 100 inhabitants)
Source: Eurostat (demo_gind) and the International Telecommunication Union

Internet use

ICTs have become widely available to the general public, both in terms of accessibility as well as cost.By 2018 internet use had become almost universal in several G20 members, for example South Korea, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia where respectively 96 %, 95 % and 93 % of people had used the internet within the three months prior to being surveyed, as had 91 % of individuals in Japan and Canada (2017 data), 87 % of individuals in the United States and Australia (both 2017 data), 84 % in the EU-27 and 81 % in Russia (see Figure 2). Around half (51 %) of individuals worldwide had used the internet within the three months prior to being surveyed, with only Indonesia (40 %) and India (34 %; 2017 data) reporting lower shares among the G20 members.

Between 2008 and 2018, the share of people having used the internet within the three months prior to being surveyed increased worldwide by 28 percentage points. In terms of the growth of internet use the G20 members can be split into two groups: those that had shares in 2008 that were already above 50 % recorded growth between 2008 and 2018 that was slower than the world average; those with lower shares of internet use in 2008 reported growth above the world average. Particularly rapid increases between 2008 and 2018 were observed for Saudi Arabia (up 57 points), Russia (54 points), South Africa (48 points; 2008-2017), Argentina (46 points; 2008-2017) and Mexico (44 points). For comparison, the increase in the EU-27 was 25 points while the United States had the smallest increase (up 13 points; 2008-2017) among G20 members.

Figure 2: Individuals using the internet within the previous three months, 2008 and 2018
(%)
Source: Eurostat (isoc_ci_ifp_iu) and the International Telecommunication Union

Source data for tables and graphs

Digital society: tables and figures

Data sources

The statistical data in this article were extracted during January and February 2020.

The indicators are often compiled according to international — sometimes worldwide — standards. Although most data are based on international concepts and definitions there may be certain discrepancies in the methods used to compile the data.

EU data

All of the indicators presented for the EU and the United Kingdom have been drawn from Eurobase, Eurostat’s online database. Eurobase is updated regularly, so there may be differences between data appearing in this article and data that is subsequently downloaded.

G20 members from the rest of the world

For the non-EU G20 members other than the United Kingdom, the data presented have been compiled by the International Telecommunication Union. For some of the indicators shown a range of international statistical sources are available, each with their own policies and practices concerning data management (for example, concerning data validation, correction of errors, estimation of missing data, and frequency of updating). In general, attempts have been made to use only one source for each indicator in order to provide a comparable dataset for G20 members.

Context

ICTs affect people’s everyday lives in many ways, both at work and in the home, for example, when communicating or buying goods or services online. EU policies range from regulating entire areas such as e-commerce to trying to protect an individual’s privacy. The development of the information society is therefore regarded by many as critical for providing the necessary conditions to promote a modern and competitive economy.