Classes C and DE Drive Growth in Internet Connectivity in Brazilian Households, Shows ICT Households 2023

Access quality is still unequal among the population, points out study released this Thursday (16) by NIC.br/CGI.br

After two years of stability, Internet access in Brazilian households grew again in 2023, driven by increased connectivity in the homes of classes C and DE. This data is part of the ICT Households 2023, released this Thursday (16) by the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil (CGI.br). The new edition of the survey showed that 84% of the country's residences—equivalent to an absolute number of 64 million—are connected to the network, an increase of four percentage points compared to 2022 (80%). This indicator had been stable since 2020.

The study, conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br) of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br), revealed that the most statistically significant advances were observed among households in classes C (from 87% in 2022 to 91% in 2023) and DE (from 60% to 67%).

The proportion of internet users also grew again. According to the survey, 84% (about 156 million people) accessed the network in the three months prior to the survey, representing an increase of three percentage points compared to 2022 (81%). There was a significant increase among women, with the proportion of female internet users rising from 81% in 2022 to 86% in 2023.

The number of those not using the network, in turn, fell from 36 million (2022) to 29 million (2023). Of the total users, 24 million reside in urban areas, 17 million self-identified as black or brown, and 17 million belong to classes DE, pointing to digital exclusion in urban peripheries of the country. According to the study, 24 million have up to primary education, and 16 million are 60 years or older, surpassing the sum of non-users in other age groups.

"Despite the decline, the number of disconnected Brazilians is still worrisome, as many activities and services are available exclusively or preferably online. Not having internet access can mean being excluded from numerous opportunities," says Alexandre Barbosa, manager of Cetic.br|NIC.br.

Access quality
Almost all (99%) Brazilian internet users aged 10 and over connected to the network via cell phone, which remains the most used device for this purpose. Secondly, televisions appear (58%), a device whose use has been increasing for a decade. Connection via computer remained stable at 42%.

According to the survey, 58% said they connected via cell phone but not by computer, and 41% reported using both devices. In classes DE, 87% accessed the network exclusively via cell phone, and 12% used both devices. Cell phone exclusive access was also higher among women (64%) than men (52%), and among blacks (64%) and browns (63%) compared to whites (49%).

The access device is also associated with the presence of digital skills, as indicated by the survey indicators. Among those who connected to the network via both computer and cell phone, for example, 71% said they sought to verify information found on the internet. Among those who accessed exclusively by cell phone, the proportion was only 37%.

Among those who have a cell phone, 60% have a prepaid plan and 36% a postpaid plan. Regarding the connection, 97% of internet users via cell phone from class A access the internet both by Wi-Fi and mobile network, while in classes DE, 36% access exclusively by Wi-Fi and 11% exclusively by mobile network.

“This year, we again observed an increase in connectivity in the country, but the ICT Households also shows that the quality of access is still unequal among the population, which restricts the development of digital skills and the full enjoyment of the benefits the internet has to offer,” says Barbosa.

Cultural practices
Among online cultural activities, podcast consumption has advanced the most in recent years in the country. According to the study, 29% of Brazilians aged 10 and older listened to this type of content in 2023, an increase of seven percentage points compared to 2021 (22%) and 19 percentage points compared to 2019 (10%).

The growth of accessing podcasts in Brazil has been mainly driven by national production. While 29% of individuals said they listened to Brazilian podcasts, only 7% listened to foreign podcasts, reversing the logic that predominates in the case of movies and series.

The study also revealed that the proportion of individuals who watch videos through subscription services increased by seven percentage points, rising from 38% in 2021 to 45% in 2023. Even so, video sharing sites or apps remain the main platforms for accessing this type of content on the internet, used by 54% of those who watched videos online. Videos with music (50%) and news (48%) were the most cited themes by users, and videos of religious events or programs (34%) saw a 7 percentage point increase compared to 2021.

Services and online shopping
In 2023, 73% of internet users aged 16 or older used electronic government services, representing an eight percentage point increase compared to 2022. Between 2021 and 2023, there was significant growth in the execution of services related to the payment of taxes and fees fully online, without the need to complete the service in person. "Public agencies have been increasing the offering of digital services, as shown by the ICT Electronic Government survey. The increase observed in 2023 in the number of people who accessed public services over the internet is positive for both citizens and governments," comments Fabio Storino, coordinator of ICT Households.

The survey also showed that half (50%) of internet users in Brazil made purchases in the digital environment in the twelve months prior to the survey, equivalent to 78 million people. Although it varied within the margin of error compared to 2022, this indicator has remained at a higher level than observed before the COVID-19 pandemic, showing that online consumption of products or services has become a habit for a larger contingent of Brazilians.

"The ICT Households survey identifies emerging themes and new trends, always in line with the agendas of sustainable social development. It is an essential reference source for public policy formulation and qualified debate on the socioeconomic impacts of internet access and use in Brazilian society," emphasizes Renata Mielli, coordinator of CGI.br.

About the survey
Conducted annually since 2005, the ICT Households aims to map access to information and communication technologies in permanent homes in the country and their use by individuals aged 10 or older. In the 2023 edition, data collection took place between March and July 2023, including 23,975 households and 21,271 individuals.

To check the complete list of indicators, visit: https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/domicilios/. The online release is available in full at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcO5nCXcA5E

Cetic.br also makes available the study's microdata for download, in addition to the complete tables of proportions, totals, and respective margins of error at: https://cetic.br/pt/pesquisa/domicilios/microdados/.

About Cetic.br
The Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (Cetic.br), of NIC.br, is responsible for producing indicators and statistics on internet access and use in Brazil, disseminating periodic analyses and information about the network's development in the country. Cetic.br|NIC.br is also a Regional Study Center under the auspices of UNESCO and celebrates 18 years of activity in 2023. More information at https://cetic.br/.

About the Brazilian Network Information Center – NIC.br
The Brazilian Network Information Center — NIC.br (https://nic.br/) is a private, non-profit civil entity responsible for operating the .br domain, as well as distributing IP numbers and registering Autonomous Systems in the country. NIC.br has been implementing the decisions and projects of the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil - CGI.br since 2005, and all resources raised come from its activities, which are of an eminently private nature. It conducts actions and projects that bring benefits to the internet infrastructure in Brazil. NIC.br includes: Registro.br (https://registro.br), CERT.br (https://cert.br/), Ceptro.br (https://ceptro.br/), Cetic.br (https://cetic.br/), IX.br (https://ix.br/) and Ceweb.br (https://ceweb.br), as well as projects like Internetsegura.br (https://internetsegura.br), and the Portal of Best Practices for the Internet in Brazil (https://bcp.nic.br/). It also hosts the office of the W3C Chapter São Paulo (https://w3c.br/).

About the Internet Steering Committee in Brazil – CGI.br
The Internet Steering Committee in Brazil, responsible for establishing strategic guidelines related to the use and development of the internet in Brazil, coordinates and integrates all internet service initiatives in the country, promoting technical quality, innovation, and the dissemination of offered services. Based on the principles of multi-sectoralism and transparency, CGI.br represents a democratic internet governance model, praised internationally, in which all sectors of society equally participate in its decisions. One of its formulations are the 10 Principles for Internet Governance and Use (https://cgi.br/resolucoes/documento/2009/003). More information at https://cgi.br/.

Media Contacts – NIC.br:

Weber Shandwick
https://webershandwick.com.br/
PABX: (11) 3027-0200 / 3531-4950
Ana Nascimento - anascimento@webershandwick.com - (11) 98670-6579 

Communication Advisory – NIC.br
Carolina Carvalho - Communication Manager - carolcarvalho@nic.br
Thiago Santiago - Communication Coordinator - santiago@nic.br 

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This content was automatically translated with the support of artificial intelligence.