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Cyprus has recorded one of the strongest improvements in internet access in the European Union over the past decade, according to new Eurostat data on digital economy and society trends in 2025.
While internet use is now close to universal across Europe, the figures show Cyprus as a country that has made rapid progress in connectivity and is increasingly behaving like a digitally mature society, particularly in how citizens use the internet for everyday information and services.
One of the EU’s biggest rises in household internet access
Eurostat reports that Cyprus increased household internet access by 26 percentage points between 2015 and 2025, placing it among the fastest-growing countries in the EU.
Only Bulgaria (+34%) and Romania (+28%) recorded larger gains.
At EU level, household internet access is now extremely high overall, reaching 94%, with top performers such as the Netherlands and Luxembourg at 99%.
The lowest rates among EU countries were seen in Croatia (88%) and Greece (89%), meaning Cyprus has outpaced a key regional neighbour.
Cypriots are Europe’s top online health information seekers
One of the most striking Cyprus-related findings is in the way people use the internet.
Cyprus ranked first in the EU for searching online information about physical health. Eurostat data shows 80% of individuals in Cyprus used the internet for physical health information in 2025, compared with Finland at 77% and lower EU averages overall.
The result reflects a society that increasingly turns to the internet not just for entertainment or shopping, but for practical daily decision-making.
Europe moves toward AI, Malta among leaders
The survey also measured generative AI use for the first time, finding that one in three EU citizens used generative AI tools in 2025.
Northern European countries led the trend, with Denmark at 48% and Estonia at 47%. Notably, Malta recorded 46%, placing the Mediterranean island among Europe’s leaders in AI adoption.
The data suggests smaller EU states can move quickly in new digital habits, a comparison that may be relevant for Cyprus as AI tools spread into workplaces, education and public services.
Online shopping is now mainstream across Europe
E-commerce continues to expand rapidly. In 2025, 74% of EU citizens ordered or bought goods or services online, up from 65% in 2020.
The highest shares were recorded in Ireland (95%), the Netherlands (94%) and Denmark (91%), while the lowest were Bulgaria (51%) and Italy (56%).
Although Cyprus-specific e-commerce figures were not highlighted in Eurostat’s summary, the EU-wide trend confirms that online shopping is becoming the norm rather than the exception, a shift already visible in Cyprus through food delivery platforms, international ordering and online retail.
Cyprus catching up, but the gap is now about services, not access
Eurostat’s broader findings show that Europe’s digital divide is shrinking in terms of basic connectivity, but widening in terms of advanced services such as electronic identity systems, AI tools and digital government.
Across the EU, 52% of citizens used an electronic ID (eID) to access online services in 2025, but the leading countries reached near-universal adoption, including Denmark (99%) and Finland (96%). At the bottom, Romania (10%) and Bulgaria (12%) remain far behind.
The contrast underlines that the next phase of digital development is not simply about getting households online, but about how confidently citizens can use secure digital services in everyday life.
Access the Eurostat data here.
