A fifth of the EU population have never used the internet

Part of European population have never used internet therefore they should not be penalised and should continue to receive important communication on paper

Part of the European population – and in some countries, a significant part – remains dependent from traditional communication means. Indeed, in 2013, 21% of European households had no access to the internet. While some countries show very high internet penetration rates, a significant part of the population in other Member States have no access to the internet: 46% in Bulgaria, 44% in Greece, 42% in Romania, more than 30% in Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Lithuania and Portugal.

21% of individuals aged 16-74 in the EU had never used the internet – whether at home, at work or at any other place. Large digital divides remain as regards levels of non-use by country. The highest proportions of the population with no experience of internet use (whether at home, at work or elsewhere) were registered in Romania (42 %), Bulgaria (41 %) and Greece (36 %), and the lowest in Denmark and Sweden (4 %), the Netherlands and Luxembourg (5 %) and Finland (6 %). In four Member States (Italy, Cyprus, Portugal and Poland), about a third of the population are non-users (see graph).

Individuals who have never used the internet, 2013 (% of individuals)EU internet penetration data 2013