Adriana Sas
Research expert covering the Polish market
Internet usage in Central and Eastern Europe - statistics & facts
Increased access to the internet played a crucial role in developing digital services and online behavior in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Internet penetration is lower in Eastern Europe than in Western Europe; however, as the region's digital economy catches up with the rest of Europe, the share of enterprises and households using the internet has increased. The rate of digital adoption also recently grew due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, as restrictions on in-person contact resulted in a higher demand for online services.
Internet access across the region varies
Two of the biggest internet markets in the CEE region are Latvia and Belarus. The penetration of internet users in the Baltics is also high for mobile internet and social media usage. However, in other countries such as Ukraine and Bulgaria, internet usage is among the lowest in the region and Europe. In 2022, just 79 percent of the Ukrainian population was using the internet. Households with internet access grew rapidly across the region in the 2000s and into the 2010s; only 25 percent of Bulgarian households had access to the internet in 2008, whereas now most households are online.What is the internet used for?
Individuals use the internet for various reasons - from social activities, such as messaging, voice calls, emails, and accessing social media, to online entertainment, including streaming videos, music, and gaming. Populations in the CEE region are no exception. In 2022, the popularity of social media was among the highest in Romania, where 69 percent of internet users took part in the many activities it offers, including communication. In Czechia, however, the most used method of communication was the old but still effective email. The vast majority of the country's population was also interested in product and service research, with 90 percent of users engaging in this activity on the internet. In comparison, 92 percent of Hungarians used the internet to read the news.
