In the EU25, 52% of households had access to the internet during the first quarter of 2006, compared to 48% during the first quarter of 2005, and 32% had a broadband connection, compared to 23% in 2005. At the beginning of 2006, 94% of enterprises with at least 10 persons employed had access to the internet (91% at the beginning of 2005), and 75% of enterprises had a broadband connection (63% in 2005). In the first quarter of 2006, 47% of individuals in the EU25 used the internet regularly, i.e. at least once a week, whether at home or at any other location.
This data comes from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. This release presents part of the results of surveys on the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) by households, individuals and enterprises in the EU25
Household internet access ranged from 23% in Greece to 80% in the Netherlands
In the first quarter of 2006, the highest proportions of households with internet access were recorded in the
At the beginning of 2006, the highest proportions of enterprises with internet access were recorded in
Broadband offers a much faster connection to the internet, and offers the potential of changing the way the internet is used. The proportion of households with a broadband connection in 2006 was highest in the
Nearly three quarters of young people used the internet at least once a week
In the first quarter of 2006, the highest proportions of individuals regularly using the internet were recorded in Sweden (80%), Denmark (78%), the Netherlands (76%) and Finland (71%), and the lowest in Greece (23%), Cyprus (29%), Italy and Portugal (both 31%).
At EU25 level a higher proportion of men than women used the internet regularly (51% of men compared with 43% of women), and this was true for all Member States, although in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland the gap was only one or two percentage points. In
While nearly three quarters of individuals in the EU25 aged 16 to 24 (73%), and more than half of those aged 25 to 54 (54%), used the internet regularly, only a fifth of those aged 55 to 74 (20%) did so. While the gap in regular use between Member States ranged from one to two for 16-24 year olds (47% in Greece to 96% in the Netherlands) and one to three for 25-54 year olds (27% in Greece to 89% in Sweden), it reached one to fourteen for 55-74 year olds (4% in Greece to 56% in Denmark and Sweden).
Internet access by households and enterprises, 2006** (%)
|
 |
Proportion with internet access |
Proportion with broadband connection |
||
|
Households |
Enterprises |
Households |
Enterprises |
|
|
EU25* |
52 |
94 |
32 |
75 |
|
Belgium |
54 |
95 |
48 |
84 |
|
Czech Republic |
: |
95 |
: |
69 |
|
Denmark |
79 |
98 |
63 |
83 |
|
Germany |
67 |
95 |
34 |
73 |
|
Estonia |
46 |
: |
37 |
: |
|
Greece |
23 |
: |
4 |
: |
|
Spain |
39 |
93 |
29 |
87 |
|
France |
41 |
94 |
30 |
86 |
|
Ireland |
50 |
94 |
13 |
61 |
|
Italy |
40 |
93 |
16 |
70 |
|
Cyprus |
37 |
86 |
12 |
55 |
|
Latvia |
42 |
80 |
23 |
59 |
|
Lithuania |
35 |
88 |
19 |
57 |
|
Luxembourg |
70 |
93 |
44 |
76 |
|
Hungary |
32 |
: |
22 |
: |
|
Malta |
: |
: |
: |
: |
|
Netherlands |
80 |
97 |
66 |
82 |
|
Austria |
52 |
98 |
33 |
69 |
|
Poland |
36 |
89 |
22 |
46 |
|
Portugal |
35 |
: |
24 |
: |
|
Slovenia |
54 |
96 |
34 |
75 |
|
Slovakia |
27 |
93 |
11 |
61 |
|
Finland |
65 |
99 |
53 |
89 |
|
Sweden |
77 |
96 |
51 |
89 |
|
United Kingdom |
63 |
92 |
44 |
77 |
|
Iceland |
83 |
99 |
72 |
95 |
|
Norway |
69 |
94 |
57 |
86 |
* EU25 excludes Member States for which data is not available.
** Reference period: first quarter for households, January for enterprises
: Data not available
Internet use by individuals, 2006** (%)
|
 |
Use the Internet at least once a week |
|||||
|
Total |
Men |
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