Brussels, 08/12/2009 (Agence Europe) - In the European Union, 65% of households 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. This data published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, forms 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 in 2009. 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.
Information from the study is as follows: 1) Household internet access ranges from 30% in Bulgaria to 90% in the Netherlands; 2) The percentage of households having access to the internet was equal to or above three quarters of all household in the Netherlands (90%), with the proportion in Luxembourg standing at 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%); 3) The proportion of households with a broadband connection in 2009 was highest in Sweden (80%), the Netherlands (77%) and Denmark (76%); 4) 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%).
The survey also analysed the frequency of online purchases 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. (I.L./transl.fl)