On Monday 27 July 2026, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Digitalisation announced the publication of the results of a study it commissioned from the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER): “Digital Inclusion: An Analysis of the Situation in 2025”.

The ministry said the study is based on data from the Community Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), conducted by STATEC, and builds on previous studies carried out in 2022, 2023 and 2024, which aimed to identify the factors behind the digital divide and monitor its evolution. The analysis is one of the 249 initiatives planned under the second National Digital Inclusion Plan.

Key findings

In a context where access to digital technologies is now widespread among the population, the ministry remarked that the central issue is no longer so much connectivity itself, but rather inequalities in usage practices and in internet users’ ability to benefit from the internet. With some digital uses more beneficial than others, a distinction must be made between using digital technology for entertainment and using it to carry out productive tasks, develop skills, or access professional and/or educational opportunities. The ministry emphasised that the study provided a clear assessment: while access to the internet is now almost universal, the real digital divide is now found in the intensity of use, digital skills, and the ability of internet users to derive tangible benefits from it.

According to the study, only 0.87% of the population had never used the internet in 2025, confirming that access is no longer the central issue in digital inclusion.

As in previous years, the analysis of usage patterns identifies three user profiles, the distribution of which has remained stable since 2022: “low users” (29%), “intermediate users” (39%) and “heavy users” (32%).

The study showed that education level represents the socio-demographic characteristic that most clearly distinguishes between the different types of users: people with the lowest levels of education are overrepresented among low users and remain behind across all areas of usage, while those with higher levels of education largely dominate the heavy user group and have a significantly higher likelihood of engaging in diverse uses, particularly those with high added value (information searches, administrative procedures and civic activities).

According to the study, age also shapes usage patterns and practices: those aged 50 and over are overrepresented among low users, while those aged 30–49 form the core of the heavy user group. The types of use themselves differ between generations, with younger users favouring social networks and messaging, while older internet users make greater use of information resources or more traditional tools such as email. Gender-related differences remain limited.

The study established a close link between the level of digital skills and the benefits gained from internet use, whether economic, social or practical: the most skilled internet users are consistently those who derive the greatest advantages from it. Users have several options for increasing their level of digital skills, but they are not all equally effective. Indeed, not all learning methods contribute in the same way to the benefits gained from the internet. Autonomy (the ability to train oneself or independently solve difficulties encountered) is the most important factor in benefiting from the internet. Paid training courses represent the second most effective lever, particularly for economic benefits (such as becoming more efficient at work), while support received from relatives (family, friends, colleagues) mainly contributes to social capital (such as staying in contact with loved ones). Free training courses offered by organisations or public programmes have more limited effects and mainly have the advantage of encouraging the creation of new social connections.

Recommendations

The study sets out several recommendations to facilitate digital inclusion for all:

•            Establish training programmes differentiated according to users’ skill levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced), with priority given to those with lower levels of education and older people.

•            Strengthen high-value-added skills, particularly information skills (searching for, sorting and evaluating information) and problem-solving skills.

•            Promote and support training focused on economic benefits, improve the effectiveness of free training courses, which have a significant impact, and encourage hybrid formats combining several types of training (formal training, self-learning and free training provided by specialised organisations).

•            Facilitate support from third parties beyond the family or friends by further developing community spaces dedicated to digital and IT assistance for everyone.

Next steps

The ministry said that a large part of these recommendations is already being translated into concrete initiatives under the second National Digital Inclusion Action Plan 2026–2030, adopted by the Government Council on 16 January 2026. For example, the plan’s “Deepening digital skills” pillar provides for training programmes differentiated according to skill levels, with priority targeting people with lower levels of education and seniors, particularly through support training and an intergenerational mediation initiative called “seniors for seniors”. Strengthening information and problem-solving skills, identified by the study as a determining factor, is also integrated into the digital skills framework (DigComp 3.0) on which this pillar is based.

The ministry added that the central role of self-learning, highlighted by the study, is reflected in several actions under the action plan aimed at developing accessible autonomous learning tools, such as online training platforms, tutorials and interactive modules intended for both trainers and the general public. The plan also aims to promote training courses with economic and professional objectives, particularly for jobseekers and professionals, while seeking to improve the effectiveness of free training offers provided by associations and public organisations.

Moreover, the recommendation to extend digital support beyond the family circle is reflected in the pillar dedicated to maintaining an alternative to digital services, which provides, in particular, for physical service points, local human support and a feasibility study for a national digital mediation service. The Ministry of Digitalisation will also continue its partnership with LISER in order to measure, over time, the effects of these measures on groups most exposed to the digital divide.

The results of the study are available (in French) at: https://mindigital.gouvernement.lu/fr/publications/rapport-etude-analyse/2025-rapport-inclusion-numerique.html