Which Australian State Has The Most Internet Users?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released its Household Use of Information Technology report for 2012-13. There’s oodles of interesting data in the latest issue, including which Australian state/territory has the highest percentage of internet-connected households. (The answer might surprise you.)

Australia map picture from Shutterstock

In 2012-13, the number of households with access to the internet at home rose to 83 per cent; up four percentage points from the 2011 report. However, some states and territories are doing better than others:

Amongst states and territories, household proportions of internet access at home ranged from 89% in the Australian Capital Territory to 78% in Tasmania.

This is a difference of more than 10 per cent, which we think is a surprisingly large gap. Presumably the state’s continued NBN roll out will help to narrow the divide somewhat (even if some households do end up with the old copper network).

You can see how each state and territory fares in the graph below:

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According to ABS’s data, the proportion of households in the highest income quintile were much more likely to have internet access in the home than households in the lowest income quintile: 98 per cent vs. 57 per cent.

Perhaps the most surprising thing about this statistic is that two per cent of the wealthiest households in Australia can’t be bothered with internet access. Who are these eccentric millionaire hippies and how do I become one?

In some good news, nearly everyone in the nation has finally moved off dial-up internet which now accounts for just four per cent of connected households. Broadband use was divided between DSL (54%), mobile broadband (40%) and broadband via a mobile or smartphone (33%). The vast majority of respondents (81%) also admitted to accesses the internet at home on a daily basis.

You can check out other interesting factoids — including Australian online shopping habits and age breakdowns — by heading to the ABS website.

Household Use of Information Technology, Australia, 2012-13 [Australian Bureau of Statistics]


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