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Key Findings

Almost four in ten daily internet users are almost always online

Online ISSN: 2990-8817
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Key Findings

  • More than nine in ten (94%) internet users go online daily, and of these, almost four in ten (39%) use it all the time or nearly all the time.

  • Almost all (98%) internet users surveyed, living in households with children, used the internet every day or almost every day.

  • Of internet users aged 16 to 29 years, almost all had gone online daily, and of these, the vast majority (95%) had used the internet at least several times a day.

  • Older persons used the internet the least. Just over half (54%) of persons aged 75 years and over had used the internet within the previous three months.

  • Students were the most frequent users of the internet in 2023. All students surveyed had used the internet daily, of which almost all had gone online at least several times a day.

  • The majority of households have internet access (94%), mainly fixed broadband (86%).

  • Household internet connectivity was highest for the Dublin region (96%), compared with the Border and Midland regions (91%). Of the households in Dublin with internet access, more than nine in ten were via fixed broadband (91%), compared with 79% in the Border region.

Statistician's Comment

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (24 November 2023) released Internet Coverage and Usage in Ireland 2023, which is the first in a series of publications presenting the results of the annual Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey. This survey was carried out in the first three quarters of 2023 (See Editor’s Note below for more details).

The data in this publication is a subset of the broader data collected in the survey and covers household internet access and individuals’ frequency of internet usage.

Commenting on the results, Maureen Delamere, Statistician in the Social Analysis Division, said: “Our everyday lives are becoming far more digital, and in 2023, we were online more than ever and relying on technology and digital services.  

At an overall level, more than nine in ten (92%) persons aged 16 years and older were recent users of the internet (had used it within the three months prior to survey), unchanged from 2022. Daily internet usage also remained unchanged from when the survey was last carried out in 2022. Of recent internet users, 94% went online every day or almost every day. Just 7% of people aged 16 years and older had never used the internet, although this predominantly related to older people where 42% of persons aged 75 and over had never used the internet. 

Frequency of Use

As our lives have become more digital, we are accessing the internet more frequently on a daily basis. Of daily internet users, almost four in ten (39%) use it all the time or nearly all the time. In 2023, more than half (52%) of younger persons aged 16 to 29 years used the internet almost constantly – 21% used it all the time, while a further 31% used it nearly all the time. Students were the most frequent users of the internet in 2023. All students used the internet every day or almost every day. Of these daily internet users, almost all (99%) went online at least several times a day: 33% used the internet several times a day, a further 41% of students used the internet nearly all the time, and almost one-quarter (24%) used the internet all the time.

Older persons used the internet the least. Just over half (54%) of persons aged 75 years and over had used the internet within the previous three months. Of these, seven in ten (72%) used the internet daily, with two-fifths (41%) of these daily internet users going online only briefly during the day. 

Household Internet Connectivity

The vast majority (94%) of households have internet connectivity. Looking at internet access on a regional basis, household internet connectivity was highest for the Dublin region (96%), compared with the Border and Midland regions (91% of households). The Border region includes counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo, while the Midland region includes counties Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath.

Household internet access was mainly via fixed broadband access (86%), up one percentage point from 2022. Fixed broadband connection was highest in the Dublin region at 91% of households, compared with the Border region (79%). 

Non-Internet Households

Of households with no internet access, the most common reason given (56%) was that they did not need the internet, followed by lack of skills or knowledge (27%). One in fifteen (6%) of these households with no internet access stated that broadband internet was not available in their area.”

Editor's Note

This publication is the first of four publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey, which was carried out in the first three quarters of 2023. Digital Consumer Behaviour 2023 will be published on Monday 27 November 2023 and will cover individuals’ use of e-commerce including sharing economy, internet activities, online learning, and ICT skills. Household Internet Security and Information Integrity 2023 will be published on Tuesday 12 December 2023 and will provide results on internet security and the measures taken by individuals to safeguard their privacy and protect their personal data when using the internet. Households’ Use of e-Government and Electronic Identification 2023 will be published on Wednesday 20 December 2023 and will provide results on the use of e-Government services, and the use of electronic identification (eID) to access online services, in both the public and private sectors.