Conducted between June and August 2022, the survey on the use of information and communication technologies by households recorded increases compared to 2021 of 0.9 percentage points in connection to the Internet and of 0.5 percentage points in connection by broadband, respectively, signalling a slowdown in growth in these areas compared to previous years.

In relation to the average of the 27 member states of the European Union in terms of broadband connection, which was 90% in 2021 (most recent statistics available), Portugal remains below the EU value, despite the decrease in the distance, which was 10 points percentages in 2019 and 7.3 in 2020.

Internet access and broadband connection is, according to data recorded by INE, higher in families with children up to 15 years old, reaching 99.2% and 97%, respectively. This level of connectivity is also recorded in households with higher incomes.

As for the use of mobile phones to access the Internet, 81.8% of people between 16 and 74 years old said they use mobile phones/smartphones for this purpose.

The proportion of people in this age group who used the Internet in the three months prior to the survey was 84.5% in Portugal, although in the European Union it was already 89% in 2021.

The main use of the Internet is in terms of communication and access to information for people between the ages of 16 and 74 - whether to exchange instant messages online, send emails, use social networks or search for information -, surpassing the demand for using the Internet to listen to music (69.5%) or use banking services (68%).