26/01/2021 13:58
In 2020, 87% of people aged 16-74 in the EU reported they had used the internet during the previous 3 months, according to data released today by Eurostat, the Statistical Service of the EU. This share ranged from 70% in Bulgaria to 99% in Denmark and 91% in Cyprus. Internet use has grown rapidly over the years - in 2010 it stood at 67% and in 2015 at 78%.
In 2020, the internet was used mainly to send/receive e-mails (74%), to find information about goods and services (69%), for instant messaging (68%), online news (65%) and telephoning or video calls (60%).
A majority of people also used the internet for banking (57%), for listening to music (56%), to participate in social networks (56%) and to look for health information (55%).
To respect the social distancing measures in force from March 2020 in most EU Member States, one option of staying connected was via telephone or video calls over the internet.
In the EU, 60% of people aged 16-74 made telephone or video calls over the internet in 2020 in the last 3 months prior to the survey. Across all internet activities, telephone or video calls recorded the largest increase compared with 2019 (52%) as well as since the beginning of their data collection (17% in 2008).
Among EU Member States with available data, telephone or video calls over the internet were most popular in Cyprus (85%) and the Netherlands (83%).
In contrast, this share was lowest in Czechia and Slovenia, where only a little over half (52%) of people aged 16-74 made telephone or video calls over the internet in 2020 in the last 3 months prior to the survey.