Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
Internet usage in Europe - statistics & facts
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As a region, Europe has the highest internet usage reach worldwide, but this is not the case for some of its markets. According to the latest estimates, roughly 90 percent of European households have internet access. The most connected European markets were the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and Denmark. Despite comparatively low connectivity compared to the top markets, Russia was the European country with the highest number of internet users, with over an estimated 123 million online users. Furthermore, Russian users also spent the most time online compared to other countries in the region, with eight hours and six minutes of daily usage. Users in Denmark, on the other hand, were not so keen to surf, spending only five hours and four minutes a day on the web.
Europe is way ahead of other regions in terms of connectivity but there is still a lot to be done, especially in the southern parts of it. Europe is also leading worldwide by strong data privacy policies. Nevertheless, in some markets, e-government and online public services are not as sophisticated. But like others, the region is currently trying to catch up with major technological developments.
Number of internet users in Europe is still on a rise
The number of internet users in Southern Europe is projected to grow to approximately 229 million by 2029 from over 206 million in 2024. Eastern Europe’s online population is expected to reach 230 million in 2029 from approximately 216 million in 2024. The central and western parts of Europe will have an estimated 308 million internet users by 2029, up from nearly 294 million in 2024.Europeans like to search for information online
The most common reason people across all European regions go online is to find information. This was the primary reason for around 80 percent of internet users in Southern European markets like Greece and Portugal. In the Western European markets, nearly six in ten people used the internet to research how to do certain things. Northern Europeans actively used the internet to keep up with friends and family. While mentioned online activities were to some extend common in all parts of Europe, some activities were especially popular in certain areas. For example, finding new ideas or inspiration was a common reason for up to 62 percent of internet users of Eastern European countries like Czechia and Romania to browse online.Internet access is a necessity for Europeans
Across selected European markets, most internet users stated they could no longer imagine their life without the internet. Almost half of the users in France said that it is crucial to have mobile internet access in any place at any time. In Spain, over half of the users said there was a good mobile connection in their area. Around two in ten users in the Netherlands said that they found it too insecure to save sensitive data online. In comparison, only 23 percent of online users in Russia said they were well protected against viruses.Europe is way ahead of other regions in terms of connectivity but there is still a lot to be done, especially in the southern parts of it. Europe is also leading worldwide by strong data privacy policies. Nevertheless, in some markets, e-government and online public services are not as sophisticated. But like others, the region is currently trying to catch up with major technological developments.
Ani Petrosyan
,
Sep 10, 2024
Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
