Which European Countries are the Most Active Online?

The Netherlands leads the field with a score of 9.01 – or 99.27 percent of residents – regularly using the Internet. 

SEO agency Digital Climax analysed data from Eurostat to compare the percentages of individuals engaged in six categories of online activity.

The data were then used to create an overall “Online Activity Score” out of 10 for each European country. The categories included the percentage of individuals using the internet, those that use the internet weekly or more, those using it for e-commerce, finance or calls, and the percentage of households with internet access.

The Netherlands is switched-on in more ways than one, with over 84 percent of residents using the Internet for ecommerce, and 27.57 percent turning to the net for financial activity.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – a country with two autonomous entities – was found to have the lowest online activity score of 1.44, or just 84 percent of residents.

In the Netherlands, 99.27 percent of the population go online, with 98.92 percent doing so weekly or more often. The country also scored highly for ecommerce (84.2 percent) and making calls (84.7 percent). Its lowest score was for financial use, with just 27.57 percent of users – but that was still high compared with other countries.

Iceland ranks second with a score of 8.82; it also scored highest for the percentage of individuals using ecommerce – 84.35 percent – and came second for weekly Internet use with 99.45 percent. Its lowest percentage score was again for finance: just 20.52 percent.

Ireland comes in third, with a score of 8.74 out of 10. It had the second-highest score for financial use: 30.29 percent. The Emerald Isle scored 98.99 percent for the percentage of households with internet access, and ranked in the top five for ecommerce, with 82.84 percent of the population active.

Norway ranks fourth, scoring 8.45 out of 10. It has the highest percentage of individuals using the internet, with 99.81 percent, and ranked in the top five for internet access, at 99.01 percent of households connected. It fared worse for the Internet calls: 79.10 percent.

The UK found itself in fifth spot, with a score of 8.42 out of 10. It has the highest percentage of individuals using the internet weekly or more: 99.53 percent. The UK also came second for the total percentage of individuals using the internet, 99.55 percent.

Other countries in the top 10 include Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Luxembourg, and Finland. Bosnia and Herzegovina was least active online, with a score of just 1.44 out of 10. It had the lowest score for the percentage of individuals using the internet – 84.01 –and the second-lowest overall rate for weekly individual use: 82.46 percent.

SEO specialist and founder of Digital Climax, Axl Van Steenacker, said that with so many essential services available online, it was “no surprise to see such high percentages for internet access across most European countries”.

Many of the top-ranking countries surpass the EU average of 90 percent for fast broadband (NGA) coverage; the Netherlands boasts 99 percent. “This makes it easier for their populations to get online and access these platforms,” he said.

The EU has Open Internet Access Regulation in place to ensure availability of online content and services without discrimination or interference. “It would be good to see these accessibility figures continue to increase over the next few years,” said Steenacker, “so users can take advantage of this worldwide connectivity and use services like online banking and global communication.”

Table: European countries ranked by percentage of their population online.

Legend:
1 % of individuals using internet
2 % of households with internet access
3 % of individuals using internet weekly or more
4 % of individuals using ecommerce
5 % of individuals using internet for finances
6 % of individuals using internet for calls
7 Online Activity Score /10