In 2025, about three percent of people aged 16 to 74 in Germany had never used the Internet, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) released on Tuesday. This represented roughly 2.1 million individuals. The Share of „offliners” has been steadily falling: in 2021 it was still six percent.
The largest share of people who had never used the Internet was among those aged 65 to 74, where nearly one‑tenth (10 percent) remained offline in 2025. Among those aged 45 to 64, three percent had never accessed the Internet. The younger groups showed lower figures: two percent of 16‑to‑24‑year‑olds and one percent of 25‑to‑44‑year‑olds were offliners.
Across the European Union, Eurostat reported a global average of four percent offliners in 2025. The proportions varied widely by country. In Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Luxembourg, fewer than one percent of the 16‑to‑74‑year‑old population reported never having used the Internet. In contrast, Croatia and Portugal recorded the highest rates, each with around ten percent.
According to estimates from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), about one‑quarter (26 percent) of the world’s population, roughly 2.2 billion people, were offline in 2025. In Europe-both EU and non‑EU states-and across the Americas, Internet access is better, yet still, in 2025, around eight percent of Europeans and twelve percent of Americans did not use the Internet, according to the statisticians.