Share of internet users in Germany 2001-2018

In 2018, the share of German internet users amounted to 84 percent, an increase compared to the previous year at 81 percent. This share has only been growing in recent years. Considering current German population numbers stand at almost 83 million, such a high share of internet users is significant in itself and also for predicting future trends on digitalization and online connectivity in the country.

Completely connected

Modern life is unthinkable without the internet, without being online or knowing you can go online anytime you want to, especially since the rise of mobile internet and mobile devices. The latter means that internet users are no longer tied to a desktop computer for going online. In terms of age distribution among German internet users, this was mostly even, though users aged 70 years and older tended to make up the smaller share. Up until fairy recently, there were more male internet users in Germany than females ones, but this has changed. The majority of those going online use the internet a least once a week or daily. Some also combine going online with other activities, such as watching TV parallel to using the internet on a device.

Online in the city

Internet user share may also depend on whether the user resides in an urban or rural area. Generally, the more populated a city was, the higher the share of users who went online. Data volume in stationary broadband internet traffic via landline has been growing in leaps and bounds during the last decade.