Federal Statistical Office: Three million Germans do not use the Internet

In Germany, 3.1 million people do not use the Internet. About five percent of people aged 16 to 74, or about one in 20, will be called “offline” in 2023, the Federal Statistical Office announced.

About 15% of people between the ages of 65 and 74 have never used the Internet, while the percentage was about 5% among people between the ages of 45 and 64. In the 16-44 age group, 2% were exclusively offline in 2023.

“Daily life is becoming increasingly difficult for people without the Internet,” the statisticians wrote. Many services are now offered almost exclusively online – such as making appointments, booking tickets or making transfers.

2.6 billion people around the world are without the Internet

According to the information, Germany is slightly below the European Union average of six percent of people who are not connected to the Internet. In Luxembourg, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, less than one percent of those aged 16 to 74 said they had never used the Internet. According to the information, the highest percentages were recorded in Croatia at 14 percent, Greece at 13 percent, and Portugal and Bulgaria at 12 percent for each age group.

The Federal Office said, citing estimates by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, that about a third of the world's population did not have access to the Internet last year, or about 2.6 billion people. In Europe – including non-EU countries – and the USA, access to the Internet has become relatively easier, but there also, according to estimates, nine (European) or 13 percent of the population were offline last year.