One in 20 Danes never use the internet

Or with a different spin: two-thirds of pensioners have been online this year

Barely a month goes by without the release of another TV series or film about a bunch of desperados living off the grid – on an inaccessible mountain or beach somewhere, away from the auspices of the Nanny State.

But for 230,000 Danes, this is their daily reality, if your more mundane, less Netflix-friendly definition of ‘off the grid’ simply means not using the internet, reports DR.

According to Danmarks Statistik, one of out of every 20 Danes aged 16-89 has not been online in 2016 – yes, not even to watch porn.

Mostly pensioners
It will surprise few, particularly given the disclaimer, that the age group least likely to go online is the 75-89 age bracket.

Only 33 percent have not been online, compared to 11 percent of those aged 65-74 and zero percent of those aged 15-18.

But it’s indicative of how far the world has come since the advent of the internet in the early 1990s that just ten years ago the headline ‘Two-thirds of pensioners use the internet’ would have been more of a surprise.




  • Danish Intelligence Service: Threat from Russia has intensified

    Danish Intelligence Service: Threat from Russia has intensified

    In the internal Danish waters, Russia will be able to attack underwater infrastructure from all types of vessels. The target could be cables with data, electricity and gas, assesses the Danish Defense Intelligence Service

  • Denmark to explore screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic sentiments

    Denmark to explore screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic sentiments

    A few weeks after Alex Vanopslagh’s comments about “right values,” the government announced that an expert committee would be established to examine the feasibility of screening citizenship applicants for anti-democratic attitudes.

  • The Future Copenhagen

    The Future Copenhagen

    The municipality plan encompasses building 40,000 houses by 2036 in order to help drive real estate prices down. But this is not the only huge project that will change the shape of the city: Lynetteholmen, M5 metro line, the Eastern Ring Road, and Jernbanebyen will transform Copenhagen into something different from what we know today

  • It’s not you: winter depression is affecting many people

    It’s not you: winter depression is affecting many people

    Many people in Denmark are facing hard times marked by sadness, anxiety, and apathy. It’s called winter depression, and it’s a widespread phenomenon during the cold months in Nordic countries.

  • Crime rates are rising, but people are safer

    Crime rates are rising, but people are safer

    Crime in Denmark is increasing for the second consecutive year, but it is more focused on property, while people appear to be safer than before. Over the past year, there were fewer incidents of violence

  • Novo Nordisk invests 8.5 billion DKK in new Odense facility

    Novo Nordisk invests 8.5 billion DKK in new Odense facility

    Despite Novo’s announcement that its growth abroad will be larger than in Denmark, the company announced this morning an 8.5 billion DKK investment for a new facility in Odense. This is the first time the company has established a new production site in Denmark this century.