Internet usage in the Baltics - statistics & facts
The Baltic States share many goals, and having high-quality internet is one of them. Since independence from the Soviet Union and the dawn of the internet era in the 1990s, they achieved remarkable results in this area. For example, Estonia and Latvia have the highest internet penetration rates in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). On the other hand, Lithuania has the largest population among the Baltic countries and the most internet users.
In 2024, Lithuania had the largest share of internet users who followed the news online, at over 90 percent. Estonia had not only the largest share of people using the internet for researching goods and services, but also for selling them. To balance the scales, Latvian internet users were more interested in political and civic participation than in the other two countries, with almost a quarter of them going online for this purpose.
Internet speed and connectivity
Lithuania dominates the Baltic markets in both the fixed-line broadband internet's median upload and download speed. It ranked high in both categories as one of only a few countries in the CEE region, with around 94.9 Mbps and 128.5 Mbps as of May 2024, respectively. Regarding mobile internet, Estonia ranks first by download internet speed but remained behind other markets in upload internet speed. Moreover, Estonia has the highest mobile connectivity index, which examines the enablers of mobile internet services adoption.User behavior
Over three quarters of all individuals in each of the Baltic countries connect to the internet daily. The highest share can be found in Estonia, where this figure tallied 89 percent in 2023. Online banking penetration is also high in the region, particularly in Estonia and Latvia — a trend that can be observed in the Nordic countries, to which the Baltics are in proximity.In 2024, Lithuania had the largest share of internet users who followed the news online, at over 90 percent. Estonia had not only the largest share of people using the internet for researching goods and services, but also for selling them. To balance the scales, Latvian internet users were more interested in political and civic participation than in the other two countries, with almost a quarter of them going online for this purpose.
