In Slovakia, 82% of households are currently connected to the Internet. According to current data from the European Statistical Office Eurostat, the average Slovak used the Internet at least once a week in 2019.
Our digital skills are also increasing. While less than half of Slovaks had basic computer skills ten years ago, last year it was more than two-thirds of people. Within individual regions, knowledge and Internet coverage are gradually reaching the west.
“Eastern Slovakia has much greater Internet coverage than it did ten years ago. Employers’ requirements for employees’ digital skills are also increasing, so every second person in the east of the country has at least basic computer literacy,” said Lenka Buchláková, an analyst at Slovenská sporiteľna.
The east of Slovakia is catching up with the west
In the East, 83% of households have internet. Back in 2012, it was less than 60%. In this regard, the East is catching up with the West, as 84% of households in Western Slovakia have internet.
We are also more digital in online banking. The number of Slovaks using internet banking services has more than tripled over the last ten years. According to Eurostat, 55% of Slovaks between the ages of 16 and 74 used internet banking services in 2019. Active users are also increasing due to the increase in people’s educational attainment.
“Within the countries of the European Union, we achieve average results in the use of internet banking. However, we were overtaken by the Czechs and Austrians from neighboring countries, where more than two thirds of the population bank. The record holders in this regard are the Danes. As many as nine out of ten Danes use internet banking. The ranking has been for many years Scandinavian countries reign supreme, on the contrary, Bulgarians and Romanians use home banking the least, due to the low internet coverage in the country,” added Buchláková.
Security threats
With a higher frequency of Internet use, security threats also multiply. In 2019, around one in three EU citizens between the ages of 16 and 74 recorded security-related incidents when using the internet for private purposes. The most common security incident reported in 2019 was phishing. Up to a quarter of Europeans said they had received fraudulent messages by email. Being redirected to fake websites asking for personal information (pharming) was the second most commonly reported security incident (12% of people).
The proportion of people who had security problems when using the internet for private purposes varied between EU Member States. The highest rates were recorded in Denmark (50%), followed by France (46%), Sweden (45%), Malta and the Netherlands (both 42%), Finland (41%) and Germany (40%). Conversely, the lowest shares were recorded in Lithuania (7%), Poland (9%), Latvia (10%), Bulgaria (13%) and Greece (13%). In Slovakia, about 20% of people have noticed a security threat on the Internet.
