Electronic Commerce in Canada

Highlights from the 2003 Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS)

Based on The Daily, July 8, 2004, Statistics Canada

Internet Household Access Continues to Rise

Percent of Households with at Least One Regular Internet User (from any location)

1999=41.8%, 2000=51.3%, 2001=60.2%, 2002=61.6%, 2003=64.2%

Atlantic Provinces show Biggest Proportional Increases in Internet Use

Percent of Households, by Province, with at Least One Regular Internet User (from any location)

Percentage Change: Nfld=11%, PEI=10%, NS=9%, NB=10%, Que=3%, Ont=1%, Man=7%, Sask=9%, Alta=7%, BC=7%

High-Speed Internet Links Jump 56% in 2003

Percent of Households with a High-Speed Internet Link via Cable or Telephone Connection

2002 Portion of Households = 56%, Number of Households = 3.8 Million, 2003 Portion of Households = 65%, Number of Households = 4.4 Million

  • Of the 4.4 million households with high-speed connections, 61% had a link through cable, and 39% by digital subscriber line (DSL)
  • DSL connections increased nearly 30% in 2003, compared with a gain of 21% for cable

Large Increase in Household Reliance on Internet for Health Information and Banking

  • E-mail continued to be the most commonly used online activity, reaching nearly 96% in 2003
  • Household Internet use for electronic banking neared 57% in 2003 (an increased of 11% from 2002)
  • Household Internet use for health and medical information reached 65% in 2003, while the use of the Internet for government information increased to 59%

Source: Statistics Canada, The Household Internet Use Survey (HIUS) 2003
Release date: July 8, 2004