Use of the internet by older Cypriots is at similar levels as the EU average, with 58% of the 65 to 74-year age group saying they had gone online, close to the EU27 average of 61%, according to Eurostat on Monday.
Internet has become increasingly important in recent years and particularly so in 2020, following the Covid-19 outbreak and the related confinement and social distancing measures, the EU’s statistical service said.
In 2020, 88% of people aged 16-74 in the EU reported they had used the internet in the last three months; ranging from 70% in Bulgaria to 99% in Denmark.
In Cyprus, the figure stood at 91%.
Although very common among the young, internet use is not as habitual among the older generation.
Eurostat’s figures show that EU-wide, 98% of those aged 16-24 used the internet in the last three months.
In Cyprus, internet use among this age group was 100%, edging down among older age groups. It was 99% for 25-34-year-olds, 98% for those aged 35-44, 95% for those aged 45-54 and 82% for ages 55-64. And for the 65-to-74-year group, it fell to 58%.
Across the EU, internet use varies greatly among the older age groups.
In 2020, Denmark recorded the highest share (94%) of people aged 65-74 who used the internet in the last three months, followed by Luxembourg and Sweden (both 91%), the Netherlands (90%) as well as Finland (88%).
In contrast, only 25% of people aged 65-74 in Bulgaria used the internet in the last three months, followed by those in Croatia (28%) and Greece (33%).
Source: Cyprus Mail
