Percentage of Households With Internet Access

In 2023-24, 97.7% of UK households are expected to have internet access, up from 90% five years earlier. The rise of internet access among UK households is estimated to have increased by 7.4 percentage points in total over the five years through 2022-23. In 2022-23 alone it is expected to rise by 0.3 percentage points. Socio-economic and demographic factors determine internet usage, with age and education as key factors. For example, the ONS determined that approximately 80% of single-adult households aged 65 years and older had access to the internet at home in 2020, compared with 100% of households with children in the same year.

The outbreak of COVID-19 (coronavirus) also accelerated trends in the percentage of households with internet access in 2020-21, as consumers have adapted to a working from home and quarantine environment during the pandemic. The use of video-conferencing and collaboration software has substantially increased, as households navigate their way through the remote socialising and working environment.

The increased provision and utilisation of internet services over the past two decades has been driven by a number of social and technological trends. Demand for household internet access is partially driven by the quality of the product, in terms of security, consistency and speed. Some of the largest growth rates in the uptake of internet services by households came just after 2000 when broadband was first introduced to the United Kingdom. Prior to the launch of broadband, dial-up services were the only option for UK households.

Additionally, the improvements in computer technology have also influenced demand for internet services by UK households. Over the past five years, the continued utilisation of modern devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers, has supported new groups of people to get online. Demand for online services has also drawn a greater variety of people to the internet. In particular, the popularity of social networks, video streaming and online shopping has had a significant influence on the usage of the internet.