453 thousand Dutch people without home internet access in 2019

Two-thirds (66 percent) of Dutch people aged 12 and over without home internet access were aged 75 years and over, while 23 percent were between ages 65 and 75.
The group of over-75s without internet at home has become smaller. In 2014, a share of 51 percent in this age category indicated they had no home internet access. Subsequently, the share fell to 41 percent in 2015 and to 23 percent in 2019.

Among the group aged 65 to 74 years, the share without home internet access has declined (6 percent) relative to 2014, when it was 12 percent. In the age category 45 to 65 years, only 1 percent had no access to the internet at home. Persons in the age group 12 to 44 years almost all have an internet connection at home.

A total of 17 thousand people in the Netherlands without home internet access – around 4 thousand households - have children between the ages of 5 and 13.

Elderly without internet are often lower-educated and female

Relatively more women than men in the age group 75 years and over do not have internet access at home. In 2019, 28 percent of women and 16 percent of men aged 75 years and over indicated they had never been online. Among the 65 to 74-year-olds as well, it is mainly women who do not have any online activity.

The lower-educated over-75s (33 percent) are relatively more likely than their higher educated peers (3 percent) to fall into the category without internet. In the other age categories, it is mainly the low-skilled who report not having an internet connection at home.

Not interested or not internet savvy

89 percent of the people living without access to the world wide web at home in 2019 never used the internet when outside; 6 percent did so more than one year previously, while 5 percent had used the internet outside in the past three months.

Those without an internet connection at home indicated they were simply not interested in the online world or did not find it useful (66 percent). Other frequently stated reasons were a lack of knowledge or skills (39 percent). Furthermore, a share of 14
percent mentioned that the necessary equipment was too expensive. For 11 percent, concerns about personal privacy and security played a role in not having an internet connection at home.

Almost 9 in 10 Dutch people are online every day
In 2019, 88 percent of the Dutch population used the internet on a daily basis. This was still 79 percent in 2014. Over 95 percent of people aged 12 to 54 and of the higher-educated were using the internet every day. In addition, 44 percent of the over-75s are daily users of the world wide web.