INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY : INTERNET USE CONTINUES STEADY GROWTH IN EU.

• Position: European Union - Brief article

One person in two in the EU uses the internet daily, while among young people the proportion is three quarters, according to data published, on 8 December 2009, by Eurostat. In the EU27, 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.

In 2009, the proportion of households with internet access was three quarters or more in the Netherlands (90%), Luxembourg (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%).

The proportion of households with a broadband connection in 2009 was highest in Sweden (80%), the Netherlands (77%) and Denmark (76%).

Nearly three quarters of those aged 16-24 in the EU used the internet on average daily or almost daily in the first quarter...