One in Three EU Citizens Has Never Used the Internet

The Internet has become an integral part of everyday life for a large percentage of the population, especially in the more developed regions, and Europe is no exception. Nearly half of European citizens use the Internet on a daily basis now but one third of them still have never gone online. The findings are part of the Digital Competitiveness study [PDF] ordered by the European Commission and published yesterday.

"A new generation of Europeans mastering the web and ready to apply its innovations is coming on stage," the commission said. "These 'digital natives' hold great potential for Europe's growth." The research found that 56 percent of Europeans became regular users, at least once a week, in 2008, one third more than in 2004, while 43 percent of the population, 77 percent of the Internet users, went online daily.

"Europe's digital economy has tremendous potential to generate huge revenues across all sectors,"  Viviane Reding, the EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media, said. "We should seize the opportunity of a new generation of Europeans who will soon be calling the shots in the European marketplace."

However, while the number of frequent and overall users has risen, 33 percent of Europeans have never used the Internet by 2008, a cause for concern but still a major improvement from the 40 percent registered in 2004. Even more worrying is the fact that 27 percent of the population has never used a computer at all, while only 60 percent have Internet access at home.

Of those who use the Internet, though, a large number are doing so with fast connections, with half of the households and 80 percent of the businesses now having a broadband Internet connection. Of the households with Internet connections, 80 percent have broadband, with Europe numbering 114 million subscribers. In fact the region is the largest market for fixed broadband connections in the world, with 23 percent adoption rate in 2008, up from 6.1 percent in 2004.