One in 10 businesses not online

One in 10 European businesses are still not using the internet, while half of individuals are nowhere to be found online.

According to new research by the European Union, 11 per cent of businesses don't use the internet and of the majority that do, half are still on dial-up connections.

Highest levels of usage are found among young people, with three-quarters of those aged between 16 and 24 now online, compared to an average of 47 per cent across all age groups. The study examined internet usage in all the European Union member states, as well as Bulgaria, Iceland, Norway, Romania and Turkey.

The UK fared better than average for individual web users, notching up 63 per cent of the population accessing the internet - although just 87 per cent of British businesses are connected.

The UK also fares poorly compared to its European neighbours in terms of broadband connectivity.

A mere 16 per cent of British households get their internet fix over a fat pipe - less than the Estonian average - while 44 per cent of businesses use broadband.

The Scandinavian countries come out best in the survey, with Denmark, Finland and Sweden all boasting 70 per cent and above of businesses online via a broadband connection.