Access to social networks and instant messaging applications is the main use that Peruvians give to the internet (whether fixed or mobile), according to the Residential Survey of Telecommunications Services (ERESTEL), corresponding to the year 2023, from the Investment Supervisory Body. Private in Telecommunications (OSIPTEL).
According to this study, 91.4% of Peruvians connected to the internet to check social networks such as Facebook, X, Instagram or messaging applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, among others. Next are searching for information and checking news (54.1%), making calls online (52%), watching videos or listening to audios without downloading them (35.2%) and checking email (23.7%).
In addition, the ERESTEL results showed that, in the last five years, the internet use that grew the most was access to electronic banking, which almost doubled from 9.6% in 2019 to 18.4% in 2023, proof of that we live in an increasingly digitalized world in which you can access a bank account or pay a bill with just one click.
Internet use according to geographical area
At the end of 2023, 76.2% of Peruvians aged twelve or older (21,295,255) reported having used the internet, which represented a jump of more than 11.8 percentage points compared to the figures recorded in 2019 (64.4%). .
The most visible jump in the rate of internet use was observed in the rural sector, where 55.4% of people claimed to use this service, a growth of around more than 26 percentage points compared to what was registered in 2019 (29.3% ).
Internet use grows among people aged 51 and over
By age groups, the greatest growth in internet use in the last five years was observed among people aged 51 and over, after reaching 60.8%, exceeding the figure obtained in 2019 (40.1%) by 20.7 percentage points. according to ERESTEL. However, people between 30 and 35 years old are the ones who use the Internet the most (86.1%).
In the period analyzed, the most pronounced increase in internet use occurred in the DE socioeconomic segment, going from 51.6% in 2019 to 65.9% in 2023, a growth of 14.3 percentage points. Despite the significant progress, the AB socioeconomic level is the one that uses the Internet the most (93.5%).
When it comes to gender, the greatest progress in internet use was among women, with an increase from 62.5% in 2019 to 75.3% in 2023; However, men continue to be the ones who use the Internet the most (77.3%).
