8 charts on internet use around the world as countries grapple with COVID-19
In each of the 34 countries surveyed, younger people are more likely than older people to say they use the internet. This difference is starkest in Indonesia, where 89% of people ages 18 to 29 say they use the internet or own a smartphone, compared with only 24% of those 50 and older.
The divide between these two age groups is generally greater in emerging economies, but less stark in more advanced economies like Canada and the Netherlands. And in many countries, 100% of respondents in the youngest group use the internet.
Differences between 18- to 29-year-olds and those ages 30 to 49 are quite small in many countries and are nonexistent in some countries, including Japan and France.
Across all publics surveyed, people with incomes higher than the national median are more likely to report using the internet than those with lower incomes. Differences in reported internet use are most pronounced in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Tunisia, where differences exceed 30 percentage points. Only in Spain, Australia, the Netherlands and South Korea are there differences of less than 10 points between those with higher and lower incomes.
There is a strong relationship between smartphone ownership and per capita gross domestic product. Those in wealthier countries tend to report owning a smartphone in higher shares than those in less wealthy nations. However, the relationship is not perfect. Smartphone ownership in Lebanon is just below that of South Korea, even as Lebanese have less than half the per capita income of South Koreans.
There are wide gaps in social media use between the youngest and oldest age groups. In most countries surveyed, this difference exceeds 50 percentage points. In Lithuania, nearly all young people (95%) say they use social media, compared with only 28% of those 50 and older. In some countries, like South Korea, Israel and Lebanon, social media use is more prevalent across all age groups. Only in seven countries surveyed do a majority of people 50 and older report using social media.
Note: Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology. U.S. smartphone and internet data was drawn from a separate list of questions.
