Nearly 3 million Germans have never accessed the Internet - DW reported, quoted the latest data from the Federal Statistical Office.
Whether in the digital age, the flight tickets, bills payment or simply buy food on the internet, still up to 4% of the German population aged 16 to 74 standing outside the world online.
As of 2024, 2.8 million people aged 16 to 74 were completely outside the online world. This group is called "offliners" by officials - those who do not go online.
Most of the 2.8 million people are in the age group of 65-74, where the technology gap is most pronounced. But it is worth noting that they are not only victims of technology lagging, but also those who are left behind in digital transformation, when many public services and utilities are now only exist in online format.
Despite being famous for the development of education and technology infrastructure, Germany is still only at an average level compared to European Union (EU) countries in terms of internet users.
While the Netherlands and Sweden almost reach the absolute internet ratio (offliners less than 1%), in Croatia and Greece, the proportion of "never online" people is still high, 14%and 11%respectively.
These figures are taken from an annual survey on the use of information and communication technology based on data collected throughout the EU.
According to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU), about 32% of the world's population has not used the Internet in 2024. ITU said: "The use of the Internet is still closely linked to the level of development of a country."
The story of 3 million Germans "outside the coverage" is not only a number, but also a reminder that transferring numbers will never be comprehensive if millions of people are outside.
