In 2017, individuals aged between 16 and 74 who regularly made use of the internet reached 271,699 persons, 80.1 per cent of the total population, the NSO said today.

ICT Usage by Households: 2017

All of the 16 to 24 age cohort in the population said to have used the internet in 2017, while individuals aged 65 to 74 recorded the lowest internet usage levels at 40.6 per cent. Survey results show that during the year under review, 83.4 per cent of individuals aged between 16 and 74 accessed the internet away from home or work via their mobile phone. This resulted in an increase of 7.6 percentage points when compared to the previous year.

Results show that the internet was most commonly used for communication purposes (95.9 per cent) and to access information (95.1 per cent).

In 2017, 96.0 per cent of mobile internet users accessed the internet via a wireless network (WiFi) connection. Moreover, mobile internet users who accessed the internet via a 3G or 4G connection accounted for 86.0 per cent.

e-Government services

During the year under review, the total number of individuals who made use of e-Government services stood at 152,917, representing 56.3 per cent of total internet users. The largest increase in e-Government services usage was recorded in the 16-24 age bracket, with an increase of 10.0 percentage points when compared to 2016.

Cloud computing

In 2017, 44.7 per cent of internet users made use of cloud computing services, an increase of 9.1 percentage points when compared to the previous year. Cloud computing services were most popular among the youngest age cohort (16-24) with 71.1 per cent, followed by those within the 25-34 age bracket with 53.6 per cent.

e-Commerce

Internet users who engaged in e-commerce activities during the reference year amounted to 175,200 (64.5 per cent), up by 1.8 percentage points when compared to 2016 (Table 7). The most common goods or services acquired online were clothes and sports goods, holiday accommodation and other travel arrangements.