In Germany, 3 % of people aged 16 to 74 had never used the internet in 2025, a figure that equated to roughly 2.1 million individuals according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). The proportion of “offliners” has fallen steadily over the past five years; in 2021 the figure was still at 6 %.
The age‑specific breakdown is striking: among those 65 to 74 the share of people who had never accessed the internet was 10 %. In the 45‑ to 64‑year‑old bracket 3 % remained offline, while 16‑ to 24‑year‑olds numbered 2 % and 25‑ to 44‑year‑olds only 1 %.
Across the European Union, Eurostat reported that 4 % of the population aged 16 to 74 were offliners in 2025. Within the EU the numbers vary considerably. Countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Luxembourg had less than 1 % of this age group reporting never having used the internet, whereas Croatia and Portugal had the highest shares, each with around 10 %.
On a global scale, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimated that about 26 % of the world’s population-roughly 2.2 billion people-were offline in 2025. In regions where internet access is comparatively easier, such as Europe (including non‑EU states) and the Americas, still around 8 % and 12 % of the population, respectively, were not using the internet.
