Internet penetration history · CHE

Switzerland internet penetration over time

Name: Switzerland internet use history
Creator: International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The latest verified observation is 97.3% in 2024. The available series begins at 0.6% in 1990, a net change of 96.7 percentage points.

35 VERIFIED OBSERVATIONS · ITU VIA WDI

Quick answers

LATEST

97.3%

Internet penetration in Switzerland in 2024, the latest available observation in this series.

LONG-TERM CHANGE

+96.7 pp

Change between the first available observation in 1990 and the latest in 2024.

RECENT CONTEXT

+4.2 pp

From 2019 to 2024, the observed rate changed by 4.2 percentage points, from 93.1% to 97.3%.

The first observation at or above 50% is 2001 (55.1%). The first observation at or above 75% is 2006 (75.7%).

Historical trend

Each point is an official observation returned by World Bank WDI for IT.NET.USER.ZS. Lines connect observed points for readability; they do not create data for missing years.

Year-by-year internet penetration

Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — Switzerland
Year	Internet users
2024	97.3%
2023	97.3%
2022	96.5%
2021	95.6%
2020	94.3%
2019	93.1%
2018	91.8%
2017	89.7%
2016	89.1%
2015	87.5%
2014	83.6%
2013	86.3%
2012	85.2%
2011	85.2%
2010	83.9%
2009	81.3%
2008	79.2%
2007	77.2%
2006	75.7%
2005	70.1%
2004	67.8%
2003	65.1%
2002	61.4%
2001	55.1%
2000	47.1%
1999	34%
1998	24.8%
1997	15.1%
1996	4.5%
1995	3.5%
1994	2.7%
1993	2.2%
1992	1.8%
1991	1.2%
1990	0.6%

Download historical JSON → · Download historical CSV → · Compare countries →

What this measure means

On World Discovery, “internet penetration rate” and “internet users” both refer to the share of individuals who used the internet, matching World Development Indicators code IT.NET.USER.ZS. It is a population-use measure; it is not the same as fixed-broadband subscriptions, mobile subscriptions, connection speed or household access.

Compare internet users by country and year → · Explore the 2024 internet-use ranking →

Internet penetration here means individuals using the internet (% of population). It is reported as % of population. The indicator definition is: Individuals who have used the Internet from any location in the last 3 months.

This series is useful for questions such as “How has internet access changed in Switzerland?” and “What is Switzerland’s latest internet penetration rate?” It does not estimate people missing from the official observations.

Compare Switzerland with similar regional rates

These Europe & Central Asia countries have the closest latest observed internet-penetration rates in the same verified history dataset. The links are based on data proximity, not a claim of social or economic similarity.

SMR

San Marino

97.4% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Switzerland.

IRL

Ireland

97.2% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Switzerland.

NLD

Netherlands

97% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Switzerland.

ISL

Iceland

98.2% in 2024. Compare its verified historical internet-penetration series with Switzerland.

Explore the regional comparison →

Switzerland in Europe & Central Asia

Among the 51 countries from Europe & Central Asia present in this verified 2024 dataset, Switzerland ranks 8th. Its 97.3% observation is 5.3 percentage points above the regional median of 92%. This comparison only describes countries present in this same-year dataset.

Closest same-region observations: San Marino (97.3%) · Ireland (97.2%) · Netherlands (97%).

Source and methodology

Indicator: IT.NET.USER.ZS — Individuals using the Internet (% of population).

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, surfaced through World Bank World Development Indicators (WDI), Indicators API v2. License: CC BY-4.0.

Values are kept at their official observation years. Missing years are not backfilled, averaged or interpolated. This page is a historical observation series, not a revision comparison.

World Bank API source → · Indicator metadata →

Keep exploring

Countries to compare with Switzerland

Move through the 2024 ranking or compare Switzerland with nearby values in Europe & Central Asia.

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