Internet access in Malta continued to rise sharply in the past four years and web surfing on smart phones and tablets is becoming much more popular.

According to data issued by Eurostat yesterday, Malta’s internet access reached 77 per cent this year, one percentage point more than the EU average and an 18 per cent increase on 2008.

The statistics also show a rapid increase of internet access on the move, reaching some 40 per cent of users this year, compared to almost none in 2008.

The most common use of the internet by the Maltese seems to be news, with almost eight in 10 users accessing local and foreign news portals and reading online newspapers.

Posting messages on social media, such as Facebook, is also popular (64 per cent) followed by internet banking (60 per cent) and buying travel and accommodation services (46 per cent).

Online shopping is also a Maltese favourite.

While 65 per cent of users had made online purchases in the past 12 months, more than 90 per cent of these had bought items from abroad.

The only other country with a higher degree of cross-border e-shopping this year was Luxembourg, one of the smallest EU member states.

Eurostat’s data shows that despite technological advances, there is a still a relatively large chunk of the Maltese population who do not access the internet.

According to the 2012 data, 30 per cent admitted they have never gone online, unchanged from the 2011 results.

On an EU level, the Dutch are the most internet-friendly with 94 per cent of households having access.

They are followed by Luxembourg (93 per cent), Denmark and Sweden (both at 92 per cent).

On the other side of the scale, Bulgarians have the lowest accessibility level to the internet with 51 per cent of households connected.

Overall, the EU’s statistics office said about one-third of individuals in the EU27 used mobile devices to access the internet away from home or work.

The share of mobile internet usage by young people was at 58 per cent, which is almost five times higher than the 12 per cent for 55 to 74-year-olds.

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