Brazil nears internet universalization

Last year, the country still had 20.5 million people without internet access; 2.1 million households lacked any kind of phone; and access to technology and related services was still limited to higher-income households.

This snapshot of access to technology in the country was detailed by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). On Thursday (24), IBGE released the Continuous PNAD: Characteristics of Information and Communication Technology survey (PNAD TIC). Conducted annually, the survey measures the evolution of Brazilians’ access to technological services and devices.

Among the 188.5 million people aged 10 or older in the country, 89.1%, or 168 million, declared to have internet access, 2.1% more than in 2023 (164.528 million). In total, internet access already reaches 93.6% of all households in 2024—compared with 92.5% in 2023.

The growth rate of internet access in households has been gradually decreasing in each survey round. This lower level of annual growth, the researchers reported, reflects an almost universal access to the internet in Brazil.

Among the reasons for accessing the internet, mapped by IBGE, “accessing banks and other financial institutions” was the one that showed the greatest growth between 2023 and 2024. “More and more people are using banks through mobile apps, for example,” commented Leonardo Quesada, an IBGE researcher.

Asked if the result could also have been impacted by increased use of Pix, the expert agreed that “it’s a reasonable hypothesis.”

On the other hand, 20.5 million people still had no internet access in 2024, or 10.9% of people aged over 10. In practice, 5.1 million households in the country had no internet access.

Lack of knowledge about the service and economic reasons were mentioned as reasons. Of those who did not use the internet, 45.6% reported not knowing how to use it, followed by those declaring lack of need (28.5%); expensive service (7.5%), and expensive equipment (3.4%).

Streaming gains

Another aspect surveyed was the use of video streaming services in the country, which reached 43.4% of Brazilian households with TV sets, or 32.654 million households, in 2024. In 2023, they were accessed in 42.1% of households with TV sets, or 31.107 million. Around 1.5 million households began to access streaming services between 2023 and 2024.

Cell phone use reached 97% of all households last year, higher than in 2023 (96.7%) and the highest share in the historical series since 2016 (93.1%).

This means that, last year, the country had 167.5 million people aged 10 or over with cell phones, 88.9% of the population in this age group. However, in 2024, 20.9 million people in Brazil still did not have a cell phone, representing 11.1% of the population aged 10 and over. The survey also showed that 2.1 million households did not have any kind of phone.

“We see that where [tech] equipment is available, the average income is much higher,” Mr. Quesada said. “Income is an important factor in explaining these differences, but, for example, when it comes to cell phone ownership, the cost of the device is still an important factor,” he noted.

In the IBGE survey, the main reason for not having a cell phone among public school students—that is, among students who don’t pay tuition, and mostly come from lower income households—was that the device was too expensive (27.7%). However, when private school students who did not have a device were asked the same question, the main reason was concern about privacy or security (33.4%).

In the results on lack of a phone and other services provided by tech devices, IBGE researchers also noted regional disparities.

The lack of phone access remained highest in 2024 in households in the Northeast (absence in 4.7% of households in the region) and North (3.2%). In the other, wealthier regions, this percentage did not exceed 2% for the same year.

Also last year, 24.3% of households in the country had access to a paid cable or satellite television service. However, in the Southeast region, the wealthiest in the country, the percentage was 31.1%. In the North and Northeast, the share was, respectively, 16.5% and 13% last year.

In the case of paid video streaming services, the average real monthly income per capita in households with this service was R$2,950 in 2024. In those without the service, it was less than half, R$1,390.

• By Alessandra Saraiva — Rio de Janeiro
• Source: Valor International
• https://valorinternational.globo.com/