Hours of internet use weekly UK 2005-2020| ��ƽ��

How many hours in a typical week would you say you use the internet?*

Characteristic	Time spent in hours
2020	24.9
2019	25.1
2018	25.3
2017	24
2016	22.9
2015	21.6
2014	20.5
2013	16.9
2012	16.8
2011	15.1
2009	12.2
2007	12.1
2005	9.9

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Release date

April 2021

More information

Region

United Kingdom

Survey time period

2005 to 2020***

Number of respondents

2,956**

Age group

16 years and older

Special properties

participants who use the internet at home or elsewhere

Method of interview

Computer-assisted personal interviews (CAPI)

Supplementary notes

* The original survey question was "How many hours in a typical week would you say you use the internet at home/ at your workplace or place of education/ anywhere else?" (Unprompted responses)
** n (2005) = 1,746; n (2007) = 1,723; n (2009) = 1,282; n (2011) = 1,369; n (2012) = 1,381; n (2013) = 1,272; n (2014) = 1,609; n (2015) = 1,458; n (2016) = 1,553; n (2017) = 1,570; n (2018) = 1,602; n (2019) = 1,293; n (2020) = 2,956
*** October 2020 to January 2021 was the date of the most recent survey.

Citation formats

From 2005 to 2020, the number of hours adults spent using the internet in a typical week has been steadily increasing in the United Kingdom (UK). As of 2020, the average time spent using the internet was 24.9 hours per week, an increase of 15 hours compared to 2005.

Internet usage in the UK

Over the last 20 years, the internet penetration rate has increased nearly three-fold in the UK, from 30 percent in 2000 to 87 percent as of 2019. During the latter year, over 90 percent of individuals in the UK accessed the internet at least once a day.  

E-commerce in the UK

The amount of online shopping that people in Great Britain are doing has increased since 2015 as well, with a penetration rate reaching 66 percent in the first quarter of 2019. The increase is more noticeable with smartphone users. According to the results of an annual interview conducted by the Office for National Statistics, most of the individuals in the UK purchased clothes or sports goods, at 60 percent, while a share of 34 percent of online consumers purchased books, magazines, and newspapers.