See what a high band reads like.

P1The bar chart shows the percentage of people using the internet in five countries in 2010 and 2020.

P2Overall, internet usage increased in all five countries over the decade, with the most dramatic rise occurring in Brazil. In both years, the UK had the highest proportion of internet users, while Brazil consistently recorded the lowest among the group.

P3In 2010, the UK led at 85%, followed by Germany at 82%, Japan at 78.2%, and France at 77.3%. Brazil lagged considerably at 40.6%, roughly half the UK's figure. By 2020, the overall highest-to-lowest spread had narrowed: the UK reached 94.8%, followed by Japan at 90.2%, Germany at 89.8% and France at 84.7%. Japan had already been above France in 2010.

P4Brazil's increase was the most substantial in absolute terms, rising by approximately 40.7 percentage points to reach 81.3% in 2020, just over double its 2010 figure. This rapid growth meant that by 2020 Brazil was 13.5 percentage points behind the UK, a considerably smaller gap than the 44.4 points that had separated them a decade earlier. The chart therefore illustrates both a general rise in connectivity and a notable reduction in the disparity between Brazil and the European and East Asian nations.