While the use of the internet has continued to increase in Belgium this year, not everyone is online (yet). 1 in 20 residents between 16 and 74 years old have stated that they do not use the internet.
The findings are part of a new survey on ICT usage in households by the Belgian statistical office Statbel.
Researchers found that 95% of those surveyed in Belgium said they used the internet this year, compared to 89% in 2018 and 82% in 2013. Of the remaining 5%, 2% had not used the internet for at least three months before the survey, while 3% had never used it at all.
"92% of internet users use a smartphone, which is the most popular tool for surfing the internet," the Statbel survey reads. "In second place is the laptop (69%) and third place goes to the tablet (35%). The desktop computer ranks fourth: ‘only’ 32% of internet users still use it."
Credit: Statbel
While smartphones are "almost always" in the hands of 16-24-year-olds (99%), their use decreases with age, with only 76% of internet users aged 65-74 using them.
Additionally, the use of e-commerce is also increasing again: 65% of Belgians have ordered goods or services on the internet in the last three months – 2% more than in 2022, but still slightly lower than in 2021 when 66% of the population made purchases online.
"As 18% of Belgians bought medicines and food supplements online at least once, this category is the one with the strongest growth in share: an increase of 3% compared to last year. Traditionally, clothes, shoes and accessories (45%) and meals (20%) are the most popular things we buy online."
Nearly eight in ten Belgians (77%) use advanced electronic identification (such as the Itsme app, or an electronic identity card). Of those, 60% only use it for contacts with the authorities, and more than a third for services offered by enterprises.
