Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
Internet usage in the Nordics - Statistics & Facts
Countries in the Nordic region usually top the list of countries with the highest internet access rates. Due to highly developed infrastructure, most individuals living in this part of the world use or at least have access to the internet. April 2024 data shows that Norway ranked first worldwide, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with an internet penetration rate of 99 percent. Furthermore, the share of Norwegians using the internet increased by almost three percent between 2020 and 2023. The corresponding figures for other Nordic countries have also seen a slight increase in the examined period. Among all countries in the region, Sweden’s online penetration rate was the lowest, around 90 percent, as of the latest measured period.
According to forecasts, internet usage reach in almost all Nordic countries is not going to change significantly in the upcoming years. But if in other regions this would mean no improvement, in the case of the Nordics, it means that most of the improvement is already done and the main task is maintaining and fine-tuning this high quality of internet usage.
Internet connectivity
The term broadband internet is used for a type of online access that is always on and faster than traditional dial-up access. All Nordic countries had an estimated 100 percent fixed-broadband connection as of 2024. In the meantime, mobile broadband connections were also widespread across the Nordics. In mid-2023, the forecast for Denmark was that it would have around 9.74 million mobile broadband connections, which is a significant number when the total population of Denmark is around six million. A similar figure was estimated for Finland’s mobile broadband connections.Most performed online activities
The variety of online activities is overwhelming. In the ongoing battle for users’ time and attention, winners are those representing the first-level necessity and a higher degree of convenience. Online banking was the most common activity for internet users in Finland and Norway, with 90 and 96 percent of the internet users in these markets stating it was the most common reason to go online. In Denmark, online banking was as popular as sending and receiving e-mails. In Sweden, however, almost seven in ten respondents said they mainly used the internet to find information.Social media usage
Across selected Nordic markets, more than 80 percent of internet users were active social media users. Norway reported having the highest monthly social media usage rate. As of 2023, the number of social media users in Iceland was around 320,000. In Sweden, social networks like Facebook and media sharing platforms like Snapchat or Instagram, as well as instant messengers, were the most used social media. Denmark and Norway displayed similar usage dynamics. In Finland, WhatsApp and Facebook were the leading platforms used several times daily. Among the most frequently performed activities on social media by Norwegians were sending private messages and liking posts by others.According to forecasts, internet usage reach in almost all Nordic countries is not going to change significantly in the upcoming years. But if in other regions this would mean no improvement, in the case of the Nordics, it means that most of the improvement is already done and the main task is maintaining and fine-tuning this high quality of internet usage.
Ani Petrosyan
,
Jul 19, 2024
Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
