Given are two figures providing a comparison of internet use in five European countries (namely Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain and the UK) in 1995, 2000 and 2004, as well as the popularity of internet shopping in these countries.
It is evident from the information provided that Britain had by far the highest number of internet users in all three years. From 16 million in 1995, the number of British user climbed steadily to 22 million in 2000, before soaring to a staggering 41 million in 2004. Second in terms of internet use was Germany. This country saw a threefold increase during the period in question, from 15 million people in 1995 to 14 million in 2000 and 15 million in 2004. A similar increase took place in France. The two nations with the fewest internet users, meanwhile, were Switzerland and Spain.
It is also interesting to note that internet shopping was far more common in the UK than in any other country listed. In fact, the prevalence of internet shopping in Britain was double that of Germany and triple that of Switzerland. France and Spain, meanwhile, had moderate levels of online shopping.