IRELAND HAS REMAINED above the European and OECD averages in terms of the availability of household internet access, new figures have shown.

Data published today by the OECD shows that 80.6 per cent of Irish households have access to a computer, and 78.1 per cent have access to the internet – just above the averages for both the 27 EU countries, and the 34 developed countries that make up the OECD.

The OECD average is that 79 per cent of households have a computer, and 74.9 per cent have internet access – while in the EU the averages are slightly lower, at 76.7 per cent and 73.2 per cent respectively.

Ireland ranks behind the OECD average when it comes to the availability of fixed-line broadband connections, however: per 100 inhabitants, Ireland has 22.2 fixed internet connections, well behind the average of 25.6. No average is available for the EU.

Switzerland, the Netherlands and Denmark rank highest in the availability of fixed broadband connections; India stands at the bottom, with only 1.5 per cent – though its market is known as one in which newer generations of mobile phones are by far the most popular way of accessing online services.

In a hint of increased economic development in Latin America, Brazil has recorded the highest growth in the ownership of household computers – with 45.4 per cent of households having computers in 2011, compared to just 34.9 per cent in 2010.

Remarkably, Japan saw ownership fall from 83.4 per cent to 77.4 per cent in the same period – perhaps indicating that users in advanced technological societies are abandoning traditional computers in favour of mobiles or tablet devices.

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