Nine out of 10 Dutch people use the internet on a daily basis

Eight out of 10 people in the Netherlands now have a mobile phone with internet access, compared with just one in 10 in 2005, the national statistics office CBS said on Wednesday.

Nine out of 10 people use the internet daily and 77% of people now buy goods and services online, the new figures show. Some 63% watch television shows and listen to the radio online and 59% read newspapers using a digital device.

Older people are also catching up. Some 75% of 65 to 75-year-olds use the internet on a daily basis. Ten years ago only four in ten people who had reached retirement age were active internet users.

Older people are most likely to email, Skype with children and grandchildren and use Facebook, the CBS said.

Laptops, tablets and smartphones are also gaining popularity over computers, the CBS said. Some 96% of Dutch homes have a fast internet connection, a figure which has been stable for the past four years.