Icelanders spend most time online

The Nordic states are Europe's top surfers with Icelanders spending the most time online, according to research released today.

In Iceland, nearly 90 per cent of the population aged 14 and above use the net regularly, followed by 81 per cent in Finland, 76 per cent in Norway, 76 per cent in Denmark and 73 per cent in Sweden, according to a study carried out by research consultants GfK.

In Britain, 63 per cent of the population are regular surfers, slightly behind Austria with 67 per cent but ahead of Germany and France with 61 per cent and 56 per cent respectively.

Albania comes in at the bottom of the pile with only one per cent regularly spending time online.

The report also reveals a clear divide between Eastern and Western Europe. Apart from Estonia and Slovenia, internet usage in all other Eastern European countries is lower than 50 per cent, GfK found.

In Western Europe, Malta ranks lowest in terms of internet usage, with only 25 per cent of the population regularly going online, followed by Spain with 35 per cent, Portugal with 43 per cent and Ireland with 45 per cent.

www.gfk.com