The chart illuminates the percentage of Internet access in a European area over the span of five years, commencing from 1999 to 2004.
Overall, the proportions of accessing Internet in urban/suburban and rural households evinced similar upward trends over the given timeframe. Another outstanding feature is that, initially, households in towns and cities consistently had greater access than those in rural areas.
In 1999, the percentage of urban/suburban Internet access was below 20%, being higher than the figure for rural households by around 10%. Over the next two years, both proportions escalated steadily. The urban rate doubled to 40% by 2001, while rural households had a marginal acceleration to below 10 %.
From 2002 to 2004, Internet access in both areas experienced an increase. The proportion of internet usage in urban/suburban areas expanded slightly from 50% to around 55%. Having risen markedly to below 30%, the level for rural households continued to rise to nearly 40%. The gap between the two groups remained considerable, with city dwellers almost twice as likely to have Internet access as those living in the countryside.