In 2016, individuals who regularly make use of the internet reached 258,415, or 77.3 per cent of the total population aged between 16 and 74, the National Statistics Office said today.

The highest share of internet use was registered within the 16 to 24 age cohort (98.1 per cent) while individuals aged 65 to 74 recorded the lowest internet usage level (37.9 per cent). Higher levels of internet usage (2.1 percentage points) on mobile phones were recorded when compared to 2015 levels.

According to survey results, 75.8 per cent of internet users accessed the internet away from home or work using either phone network or a WiFi connection on their mobile phone. Results show that the internet is mostly used for communication purposes (95.1 per cent) and to access information (91.8 per cent).

In 2016, 95.0 per cent of mobile internet users accessed the internet via a wireless network (WiFi) connection. Moreover, 80.9 per cent of mobile internet users accessed the internet via a 3G or 4G connection.

e-Government users, amounted to 56.7 per cent of internet users, showing an increase of 2.0 percentage points over the previous year. Usage of e-Government services mainly increased (6.2 percentage points) among persons aged between 25 and 34.

In 2016, 35.6 per cent of internet users made use of cloud computing services – a decrease of 3.8 percentage points when compared with 2015 levels. The use of cloud computing was most common among individuals aged between 25 and 34, showing an increase of 4.9 percentage points over the previous year.

Over 60 per cent of individuals who used the internet three months prior to the surveying period purchased goods or services online in the previous year. Similar to 2015, the most common goods or services acquired online were clothes, sports goods, holiday accommodation and other transport arrangements.

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