Nearly 900,000 Dutch never use the internet

Last year 6 percent of Dutch aged 12 or older said that they never use the internet. That amounts to about 886 thousand people, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday. In 2012 some 10 percent of the Dutch population said they never use the internet.

Almost half of the Dutch who never go online are 75 years old or older. Though the group of over 75 year olds who never use the internet shrank from 66 percent in 2012, to 50 percent in 2015, and 32 percent last year. The proportion of people in the age group 65 to 75 years who never use the internet also dropped from 43 percent in 2012 to 10 percent in 2018. People in the age group 25 to 45 years almost all use the internet.

The elderly Dutch who never use the internet tend to be female and low-educated. Last year 41 percent of women and 20 percent of men in the age group 75 years and older never used the internet. And 44 percent of less educated people and 11 of their highly educated peers avoided going online. These trends are also visible in other age groups, according to the stats office.

Of those who never use the internet, 46 percent don't have internet access at home. The remaining 54 percent have an internet connection, but don't use it. Of those without an internet connection at home, 64 percent said that they simply don't have interest in going online or do not find it useful. 35 percent said they lack the knowledge or skills to surf the web and 15 percent said that privacy and security concerns play a role in having no internet at home.

Last year 86 percent of Dutch people were online every day, compared to 76 percent in 2012. Over 95 percent of 12 to 45 year olds and highly educated Dutch use the internet daily. 45 percent of over 75 year olds are also online every day.