In 2018, individuals aged between 16 and 74 who regularly made use of the internet reached 306,692 persons, 81.4 per cent of the total population, the NSO said today.

Internet usage by individuals

All of the 16 to 24 age cohort in the population said to have used the internet in 2018, while individuals aged 65 to 74 recorded the lowest internet usage levels at 37.9 per cent. Survey results show that during the year under review, 84.0 per cent of individuals aged between 16 and 74 accessed the internet away from home or work via their mobile phone.

Results show that the most common uses for the internet were for communication purposes (95.8 per cent) and for the use of entertainment (88.8 per cent).

e-Government services

During the year under review, the total number of individuals who accessed or made use of e-Government services stood at 174,243, representing 56.8 per cent of total internet users.

Cloud computing 

In 2018, 46.1 per cent of internet users made use of cloud computing services. Cloud computing services were most popular among the youngest age cohort (16-24) with 71.8 percent, followed by those within the 25-34 age bracket (60.7 per cent).

Smartphone users

In 2018, out of all internet users, 279,305 individuals also made use of a smartphone. From this amount, 140,996 users had some security software installed on their device.

ICT users at work

The survey showed that that 176,324 individuals used  information and communication technologies for their working activities. The most common use of these technologies was for the exchange of e-mails or to enter data into databases.

e-Commerce

Internet users who engaged in e-commerce activities during the reference year amounted to 203,587 (66.4 per cent), up by more then 1.0 percentage point when compared to 2017 (Table 9). The most common goods or services acquired online were clothes and sports goods, holiday accommodation and other travel arrangements.