2006 Internet usage forecast

Forrester Research forecasts that 67 percent of European consumers will be online in 2006, equivalent to 200 million users.

This marks an increase of 28 percent on the current number of Internet users in Europe, which is estimated to be around 116 million users.

According to Forrester, half of all Europeans now have access to the Internet, but only three-quarters of these use the Internet on a regular basis. Most users connect from home, with just 13 percent of online users having access solely at work.

Germany currently has the largest online population in Europe with 30 million Internet users. The UK has the second highest online population with approximately 20 million users.

With an estimated 70 percent of its population becoming regular Internet users in 2006, Germany is expected to lead the growth in online users in the next few years.

France and Italy will show the biggest increase in new, regular online consumers, with more than 30 million new users coming online in the next five years. Italy in particular is expected to reach 68 percent penetration in 2006, or 33.1 million regular Internet users.

The online population in the UK will also continue to grow and is expected to have 32.8 million Internet users in the next 5 years, a penetration rate of 68 percent.

Franceís growth rate is expected to grow more slowly than other European countries, but will reach 64 percent penetration, or 31.3 million users, over the next five years.

Scandinavia, which already accounts for a large number of Internet users in Europe, is expected to reach saturation at 70 percent from 2003 onwards.

Austria and Switzerland are likely to experience growth from 2004 onwards, and their total online penetration is likely to reach 75 percent by 2006.