Internet use was up by five per cent over 2008, according to a survey conducted by the National Statistics Office.

Some 64 per cent of Maltese households had internet access this year compared to 59 per cent last year. The survey also indicated that 67 per cent of Maltese households had computers.

A large disparity in internet access was found between households earning under €10,000 annually, with 36 per cent of these having access. In contrast, 93 per cent of households earning €25,000 or more annually had access.

More than half the respondents aged 16-74 had made use of computers and internet. The age group in which usage was highest was the 16-24 one, with over 90 per cent.

It was also established that those that had achieved higher levels of education used the internet much more than those that had not.

In the three months before the survey, 97 per cent of all students said they had used the internet as did 72 per cent of employed people.

Almost 40 per cent of internet users over the past three months said they used e-government services to obtain information. An additional 27 per cent used the services to download official forms.