Danes are universe's keenest netizens

The Danes are the world's keenest netizens, while the US has the biggest percentage of women online, a survey out today claims.

In Denmark 54 per cent of homes are hooked up to the Net, compared with 51 per cent in the US. The UK still lags behind, with 34 per cent of households online - fewer than Singapore (47 per cent), Taiwan (40 per cent) and South Korea (37 per cent), according to figures by research outfit NetValue.

China and Spain were the least connected of the twelve countries surveyed, with 18 per cent and 15.8 per cent respectively.

Cyberspace is still pretty male-dominated, especially in Mexico and Spain, where only a third of surfers are female. The UK doesn't fare much better, with women accounting for just 36 per cent of Net users. The US has the most even ratio, where 52 per cent of surfers are male and 48 per cent female.

The top sites are portals, with Yahoo! and MSN grabbing most hits worldwide.

And usage still lives up to gender stereotypes - men choose to look at cars, sport and porn online, while women choose fashion and beauty, women's sites and astrology.

NetValue's report was based on Internet usage in January 2001. ®

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