What percentage of seniors use the internet in France in 2025?

According to the Baromètre du numérique 2025 (ARCEP/CREDOC), approximately 75% of people aged 60 and over use the internet. This rate drops sharply among those over 75, with 54% experiencing digital illiteracy according to INSEE (TIC-ménages survey 2025).

How many seniors own a smartphone in France?

In 2025, 70% of seniors own a smartphone, up from 62% in 2024, according to the Baromètre du numérique 2025 by ARCEP and CREDOC. Among those 75 and over, the ownership rate is lower, around 48.5%.

Are seniors the main victims of online scams?

No. According to the Baromètre du numérique 2025, seniors are less likely to be victims than other generations (9% vs 11% average). Those under 25 are nearly twice as affected. Seniors adopt strong cybersecurity habits: complex passwords (81%), two-factor authentication (70%).

What is digital illiteracy and how many seniors are affected?

Digital illiteracy (illectronisme) refers to the inability to use everyday digital tools. According to INSEE (TIC-ménages survey 2025), 17% of 60-74 year-olds experience digital illiteracy. Among those over 75, this rate reaches 54%. In total, around 4 million people aged 60 and over are affected.

Which social media platforms do seniors use most?

Facebook is the most popular social network among seniors: over 45% of internet users aged 60 and over are registered, including 72% of those aged 60-69. WhatsApp comes second with over 42% usage among connected people over 60.

Do seniors use telemedicine?

Very few. According to DREES (2024), only 6% of people aged 60 and over have used telemedicine, compared to 23% of 18-29 year-olds. 74% of 60-74 year-olds prefer in-person contact with their doctor.

What are the sources for this study?

The data comes from official French sources: the Baromètre du numérique (ARCEP/CREDOC, 2025 and 2026 editions), INSEE (TIC-ménages survey 2025), DREES, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Petits Frères des Pauvres/CSA, FEVAD and the French Senate.

Seniors and Digital Technology in France: Key Figures in 2026

In France, over 15 million people are aged 60 or older, representing 27.7% of the population [INSEE, 2024]. How is this generation experiencing the digital transformation? Between remarkable progress and persistent inequalities, official data paints a far more nuanced picture than common stereotypes suggest. Here are the most recent, sourced, and verified statistics on seniors’ relationship with digital technology.

This page compiles reference figures from the most recent official studies: Baromètre du numérique (ARCEP/CREDOC), INSEE surveys, DREES reports, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, and Senate publications. Each figure includes its source and date.

Digital Equipment Among Seniors

Smartphones: Accelerating Adoption

The smartphone has become the primary digital tool for seniors. The progression has been clear in recent years.

70% of seniors own a smartphone in 2025, up from 62% in 2024 [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Among 60-74 year-olds, the equipment rate reaches 75.6% [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Among those 75 and over, this rate drops to 48.5% [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
46% of 60-74 year-olds and 53% of those 75+ own a smartphone purchased over two years ago, compared to 38% for all smartphone owners [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2024].

Internet Connection

94% of French people connect to the internet and 84% do so daily [Baromètre du numérique 2026, ARCEP/CREDOC].
75% of internet subscribers have fibre or cable access [Baromètre du numérique 2026, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Among seniors over 70, only 63% use the internet, compared to over 96% for other age groups [Petits Frères des Pauvres/CSA Institute, 2021].
27% of people aged 60 and over never use the internet, representing approximately 4 million people [Petits Frères des Pauvres/CSA Institute, 2021].

Digital Usage Among Seniors

Seniors are far from absent on social media.

Facebook remains the most popular platform: over 45% of senior internet users are registered [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Among 60-69 year-olds, the Facebook registration rate reaches 72% [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
WhatsApp is used by over 42% of connected people aged 60+ [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
45% of those over 70 post on social media [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
The average daily time spent on social media by seniors is 45 minutes [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].

E-Commerce and Online Shopping

Online shopping is growing strongly among seniors.

49% of 60-74 year-olds made at least one online purchase in 2024 [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2024].
This rate drops to 18% among those 75 and over [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2024].
50-64 year-olds spend an average of 2 hours 53 minutes per day on the internet in 2024, 40% more than in 2019 [FEVAD, 2024].
The most purchased categories online by seniors: travel (58%), leisure (58%), transport (46%) [FEVAD, 2024].

Online Administrative Procedures

The digitisation of public services particularly affects seniors.

Over 50% of seniors complete administrative procedures online in 2024, up from 43% in 2022 [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
53% of 55-79 year-olds report encountering obstacles on administrative platforms [French Senate Report on Digitisation, September 2025].
82% of administrative procedures are completed online each year in France, totalling 572 million procedures [Vie-publique.fr, 2025].
Only 11% of difficulties are attributed to lack of digital skills; the main difficulties relate to the complexity of the platforms themselves [Labo Société Numérique/ANCT, 2024].

Digital Divide: Seniors Most Affected

Digital Illiteracy in Numbers

Digital illiteracy (the inability to use everyday digital tools) remains a major challenge.

7% of 16-74 year-olds experience digital illiteracy in 2025 [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2025].
Among 60-74 year-olds: 17% experience digital illiteracy and 38% have weak digital skills [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2025].
Among those 75 and over: 54% experience digital illiteracy and only 5% have advanced skills [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2025].
Overall, 34% of 16-74 year-olds face digital difficulties (illiteracy or weak skills), down from 38% in 2021 [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2025].

Determining Factors

The digital divide among seniors is not just about age. Data shows that education level and income play an even more important role.

At equivalent ages, those without qualifications are 7 times more likely to experience digital illiteracy than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2025].
The lowest 20% earners are 6.6 times more affected than the top 20% [INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2025].
66% of digitally excluded people are aged 65 or over [Emmaüs Connect, 2025].
People over 80 are the most affected: over 1.7 million people [Petits Frères des Pauvres/CSA Institute, 2021].

Identified Barriers

27% of 60-69 year-olds and 37% of those over 70 report having poor mastery of digital tools [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
15% of those over 70 lack the necessary equipment [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
11% of those over 70 report having difficult internet access [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].

Online Scams: Seniors Less Victimised Than Expected

Contrary to popular belief, seniors are not the primary victims of cyber threats.

Surprising Figures

4 in 10 French people were victims of cybercrime in 2025 [CREDOC/Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, 2025].
73% of internet users report having been exposed to an online scam or fraud attempt [Vie-publique.fr, 2025].
Seniors over 60 are less likely to be victims than average: 9% compared to 11% for the overall population [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Those under 25 are nearly twice as affected as seniors [CREDOC/Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, 2025].

Good Practices Among Seniors

81% of seniors use complex passwords [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
70% of seniors enable two-factor authentication [Baromètre du numérique 2025, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Seniors demonstrate heightened vigilance towards suspicious calls and messages [Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Activity Report 2025].

Main Threats

Phishing is the number one threat, up by 70% across all demographics [Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Activity Report 2025].
Fraudulent emails and calls affect 63% of internet users, with 21% having been victims [CREDOC, 2025].
Digital fraud has increased overall by 30% in 2025 [Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Activity Report 2025].

Connected Health and Telemedicine

Telemedicine Struggles to Convince Seniors

15% of people aged 18 and over used telemedicine in 2024 [DREES, 2024].
Among those 60 and over: only 6% used telemedicine [DREES, 2024].
Among those 75 and over: the rate drops to 4%, compared to 23% of 18-29 year-olds [DREES, 2024].
74% of 60-74 year-olds prefer in-person contact with their doctor [DREES, 2024].
21% of those 75 and over do not use telemedicine because they are not comfortable with computer tools [DREES, 2024].

Connected Health Devices

40% of French people own at least one connected device in 2025 [ARCEP, Baromètre du numérique 2025].
In Europe, health wearable adoption among those 65 and over plateaus at 14% [Mordor Intelligence, 2025].
Smartwatches represent the leading segment of connected health devices in France, with 2.3 million units sold in 2023 [GfK, 2023].

Artificial Intelligence: Seniors Too

The Baromètre du numérique 2026 reveals a striking fact about generative AI.

48% of the French population now uses generative artificial intelligence, a 28-point increase in two years [Baromètre du numérique 2026, ARCEP/CREDOC].
Generative AI is the fastest-adopted digital technology in 25 years of the Baromètre du numérique [Baromètre du numérique 2026, ARCEP/CREDOC].
74% of French people perceive the impact of digital technology on their personal life as positive [Baromètre du numérique 2026, ARCEP/CREDOC].

Digital Inclusion: Support Programmes

Several public and charitable initiatives aim to reduce the digital divide among seniors.

13 million people in France are not comfortable with the internet [Emmaüs Connect, 2025].
The Aidants Connect scheme (public service) allows professional caregivers to legally assist users with their online procedures [beta.gouv.fr, 2025].
The Les Connectés programme (AG2R La Mondiale / Unis-Cité) deploys civic service volunteers across 20 regions to support seniors [Unis-Cité, 2025].
Digital workshops are offered in libraries, town halls, care homes, and at home by organisations such as Emmaüs Connect and Petits Frères des Pauvres [Labo Société Numérique, 2025].

Key Takeaways

The data reveals a more complex reality than the cliché of a senior lost in front of a screen.

What is progressing: smartphone ownership (70% in 2025), social media adoption, online shopping, and digitised administrative procedures.

What remains concerning: massive digital illiteracy among those over 75 (54%), low telemedicine uptake (6% of those 60+), and inequalities linked to education level and income, which weigh more than age itself.

What is surprising: seniors are less likely to be victims of online scams than young people (9% vs 11%), thanks to more developed caution reflexes.

Methodological Note

The statistics presented on this page come from public and verifiable sources. The surveys use different methodologies (sampling, age brackets, collection periods) which may explain discrepancies between figures.

Limitations to note:

Age brackets vary between studies (60+, 65+, 70+, 75+), making direct comparisons sometimes difficult.
Some data dates from 2021-2024 as the most recent studies are not yet available for all indicators.
Data on connected health devices among seniors remains patchy in France; European figures are used as supplements.
The INSEE TIC-ménages survey covers ages 16-74, which excludes those 75 and over from certain indicators.

Editorial Note

Sources consulted:

Baromètre du numérique 2025 and 2026, ARCEP/CREDOC/Arcom/ANCT
INSEE, TIC-ménages survey 2024 and 2025
DREES, study on telemedicine use, 2024
Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Activity Report 2025
Petits Frères des Pauvres / CSA Institute, study on digital exclusion of seniors
FEVAD, data on seniors’ online consumption
French Senate Report on digitisation of public services, September 2025
Emmaüs Connect, data on digital illiteracy in France
Labo Société Numérique / ANCT, digital inclusion initiatives

Limitations of this compilation: the most recent data from the Baromètre du numérique 2026 does not yet break down all indicators by detailed age group. The INSEE TIC-ménages 2026 survey is currently being collected (February-June 2026) and its results are not yet available.

Verification date: 2 April 2026

Conflicts of interest: none. This page contains no affiliate links.

Questions fréquentes

: According to the Baromètre du numérique 2025 (ARCEP/CREDOC), approximately 75% of people aged 60 and over use the internet. This rate drops sharply among those over 75, with 54% experiencing digital illiteracy according to INSEE (TIC-ménages survey 2025).
: In 2025, 70% of seniors own a smartphone, up from 62% in 2024, according to the Baromètre du numérique 2025 by ARCEP and CREDOC. Among those 75 and over, the ownership rate is lower, around 48.5%.
: No. According to the Baromètre du numérique 2025, seniors are less likely to be victims than other generations (9% vs 11% average). Those under 25 are nearly twice as affected. Seniors adopt strong cybersecurity habits: complex passwords (81%), two-factor authentication (70%).
: Digital illiteracy (illectronisme) refers to the inability to use everyday digital tools. According to INSEE (TIC-ménages survey 2025), 17% of 60-74 year-olds experience digital illiteracy. Among those over 75, this rate reaches 54%. In total, around 4 million people aged 60 and over are affected.
: Facebook is the most popular social network among seniors: over 45% of internet users aged 60 and over are registered, including 72% of those aged 60-69. WhatsApp comes second with over 42% usage among connected people over 60.
: Very few. According to DREES (2024), only 6% of people aged 60 and over have used telemedicine, compared to 23% of 18-29 year-olds. 74% of 60-74 year-olds prefer in-person contact with their doctor.
: The data comes from official French sources: the Baromètre du numérique (ARCEP/CREDOC, 2025 and 2026 editions), INSEE (TIC-ménages survey 2025), DREES, Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr, Petits Frères des Pauvres/CSA, FEVAD and the French Senate.