Internet access in 81% of Maltese households

80.7% of households in Malta and Gozo had access to the internet in 2014 , while regular internet users reached 239,225 or 73.2% of the population aged 16 to 74.

National statistics also show that internet access in households during 2014 increased by 1.9 percentage points when compared with the previous year. Households with children were more likely to have internet access at home, while just over half the households with one adult member and without children had an internet connection. The largest percentage of internet access in households was registered in the Western District (87.5%), while the smallest percentage was recorded in the Southern Harbour District (74.8%).

The highest percentage of computer and internet use was registered within the 16 to 24 age cohort, while the older population aged 65 to 74 recorded the lowest internet usage level (35%). During 2014, 69.7% of internet users also made use of a mobile internet connection.

The share of internet users making use of eGovernment services stood at 55%. An increase in eGovernment usage was noted in the majority of age cohorts. In 2014, 64.2% of internet users also acquired some form of products or services online. Clothes and sports goods were the most common acquired items (42.1%) followed by purchases of holiday accommodation (26.3%) and other transport arrangements (24.1%).

E-skills

Survey results show that 82.6% of computer users knew how to use the ‘copy and paste tool’, while 79.4% were capable of copying or moving a file or folder.

Cloud computing

In 2014, 31.6% of internet users made use of cloud computing services. This was most common among persons with a tertiary level of education and younger age groups. The type of documents most commonly shared and kept on the cloud include pictures, text, spreadsheets and presentations.