Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
Internet usage in the Benelux - Statistics & Facts
People in the Benelux region are quite active internet users. As a part of Western Europe, the area is among the world’s most connected regions. Of the three Benelux countries, Luxembourg had the highest internet penetration rate at 98.7 percent. The Netherlands followed, with 95.5 percent, while Belgium ranked last, with 94.5 percent of its population going online regularly. Social networks had a total of 25.59 million user base in the region.
The internet connection has become a crucial part of life and users in the Netherlands and Belgium find it important to be connected at any time and any place. The majority of them don’t even imagine their life without the internet. In the Benelux region, most web traffic was generated via mobile phones.
According to the latest data, the number of social media users in the country exceeded 10 million. Instant messengers, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or WeChat, were the most used social media platforms in Belgium. Around seven in ten individuals in the country used online messaging services. Additionally, “Google” was the keyword most frequently searched by Belgians on Google Search.
Mobile phones or smartphones were most commonly used to connect to the internet among all age groups, especially among 25-35-year-olds. Among all search queries entered on Google Search by internet users in the Netherlands, “Weer,” the Dutch word for “weather,” had the highest search interest. Furthermore, the Netherlands is known for its advanced e-government services, which indicates the higher priority of the internet in the country.
More than nine in ten Luxembourgers used the web every day. As of 2023, 59 thousand individuals in Luxembourg were social media users.
Internet usage in Belgium
As of 2023, 10.11 million individuals in Belgium used the internet via any device. Of this total, 10.78 million were mobile internet users. Additionally, there was an internet connection in approximately 4.72 million households nationwide. The majority of Belgium’s internet users were between 30 and 49 years old.According to the latest data, the number of social media users in the country exceeded 10 million. Instant messengers, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, or WeChat, were the most used social media platforms in Belgium. Around seven in ten individuals in the country used online messaging services. Additionally, “Google” was the keyword most frequently searched by Belgians on Google Search.
Internet usage in the Netherlands
As of 2023, the Netherlands had around 15.47 million internet users, with nearly 93 percent of them going online daily . Here, around 7.88 million households are connected to the web. The most active internet users in the Netherlands are individuals between 30 and 49 years old, as they make up 42 percent of the total online users in the market.Mobile phones or smartphones were most commonly used to connect to the internet among all age groups, especially among 25-35-year-olds. Among all search queries entered on Google Search by internet users in the Netherlands, “Weer,” the Dutch word for “weather,” had the highest search interest. Furthermore, the Netherlands is known for its advanced e-government services, which indicates the higher priority of the internet in the country.
Internet usage in Luxembourg
Being the smallest of Benelux countries, Luxembourg only had about 61 thousand online users. The country’s developed infrastructure has led to roughly 98 percent of households having internet access. Mobile’s share of internet usage was also relatively high, nearly 92 percent.More than nine in ten Luxembourgers used the web every day. As of 2023, 59 thousand individuals in Luxembourg were social media users.
Privacy on the net
Online users in Belgium and the Netherlands were, to some extent, privacy conscious. The most common action they took toward online privacy protection was declining cookies on websites sometimes. Some claimed to be worried about how companies might use their personal information, while others preferred to remain anonymous when using online services.Ani Petrosyan
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Feb 23, 2024
Ani Petrosyan
Research expert for cybersecurity and cybercrime
