In permanent flight mode: four percent of the population offline

In 2024, almost 2.8 million people in Germany have never used the internet. This was announced by the Federal Statistical Office, which stated that this corresponds to a four percent share of the population. There are clear differences between the age groups.

There are a particularly large number of internet non-users in the 65 to 74 age group, where one in eight (eleven percent) is permanently offline. In the 16 to 44 age group, on the other hand, the proportion is just two percent. Compared to the previous year, the number of non-users fell slightly, from 3.1 million people to 2.8 million, or from five to four percent.

In an EU comparison, Germany is therefore close to the average of five percent of the population and on a par with Austria. In countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands, the digitalization of public administration is well advanced, and electronic payments are widespread. Correspondingly, few people there are offline, with less than one percent of the population not using the internet – the smallest proportion in the EU. In contrast, Croatia and Greece have the largest share with 14 and 11 percent respectively. This means that one in seven and one in ten people there are offline.

One in three people worldwide are offline

This means that in Europe, even in the countries with the highest proportion, far more people still use the internet than in large parts of the world. According to an estimate by the International Telecommunication Union of the United Nations (ITU), 32% of the world's population, or 2.6 billion people, are permanently offline.

The continent with the fewest Internet users is Africa. However, here too, the proportion of internet users has risen rapidly, from 25% five years ago to 38% in 2024. High access costs, which are often prohibitive for income levels, and a lack of infrastructure are hampering the spread of the internet, while satellite internet is often cheaper than fixed internet access.

(acha)