Significant Increase in Internet Usage Across Greece

Over the past two decades, Greece has seen remarkable growth in household internet access, aligning closely with broader trends across the European Union.

In 2002, a mere 12% of Greek households had internet access. By 2022, this figure had surged to 85%, nearing the EU average of 90%.

85% of Greek Households Now Connected

In 2022, 85.5% of Greek households had internet access, marking a 14-point increase from 2017 and a 40-point rise from 2011. Despite this progress, Greece ranks last in Europe, trailing the EU average by 4.7 points. The highest internet access rates are seen in the Netherlands (98.2%), Luxembourg (97.6%), and Finland (97.6%), while Greece is comparable to Croatia (85.5%) and Bulgaria (87.3%).

Rural Areas Lag Behind

Internet access in rural Greece remains significantly lower, with only 76% of households connected in 2022, 14.4 points below the EU average. This urban-rural divide is one of the largest in Europe, alongside Portugal (13.8 points) and Romania (11.6 points). Malta boasts the highest rural internet access, while Germany shows equal connectivity between urban and rural areas.

Daily Internet Usage on the Rise

In 2022, 77% of Greeks accessed the internet daily, up 18 points from 2017 and 40 points from 2011. Only 1.3% of the population does not use the internet weekly.

Internet for Goods and Services

Internet usage for searching goods and services rose to 74% in 2022, a 24-point increase from 2013. Phone and video calls follow closely at 70%, and social media usage is at 67%. Notably, internet usage for banking transactions surged during the capital controls imposed in 2015.

Internet Speed Improvements

While internet speeds in Greece have improved, they remain lower than the European average. From Q1 2019 to Q2 2022, download speeds increased from 20.95 Mbps to 42.34 Mbps, and upload speeds rose from 3.94 Mbps to 8.31 Mbps.

Overall, Greece has made significant strides in internet accessibility and usage, although there are still areas for improvement, particularly in rural connectivity and internet speed.