Eurostat - 61 percent of Bulgarian SMEs Use the Internet / Legal Services in Bulgaria

Eurostat - 61 percent of Bulgarian SMEs Use the Internet

by Sofia News Agency www.novinite.com

In Bulgaria, 61% of small and medium-sized enterprises used the Internet during the first quarter of 2004, against 89% on average in the 25 EU member states, shows a survey of Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. The report presents the results of surveys of Internet usage by individuals and enterprises for the EU 25 Member States, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Norway and Iceland. As well as Internet use, it covers broadband connections, e-commerce and e-government. Romania lags behind Bulgaria with just half of the small and medium-sized enterprises working online. In the first quarter of 2004, the highest levels of internet usage by individuals in the EU25 were recorded in Sweden (82%), Denmark (76%) and Finland (70%). The lowest levels were registered in Greece (20%), Hungary (28%), Lithuania, Poland and Portugal (all 29%). On average in the EU25, the proportion of men using the internet (51%) was higher than for women (43%). This pattern applied in most Member States, except for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, where usage was nearly the same for men and women. In all Member States for which data is available, and for both men and women, internet usage was highest amongst those aged 16 to 24, and decreased with age. Across the EU25, three quarters of those aged 16 to 24 used the internet in the first quarter of 2004 (men: 76%, women: 74%). Amongst those aged 25 to 54 it was just over half (men: 57%, women: 51%), and for those aged 55 to 74 it was a quarter or less (men: 26%, women: 16%). At the beginning of 2004, the highest levels of internet usage by enterprises were recorded in Denmark and Finland (both 97%), and in Belgium and Sweden (both 96%). The lowest levels were registered in Portugal (77%), Hungary (78%), Lithuania (81%), and Cyprus (82%).