But if the spectacular growth predicted by some has not materialised, the volume of electronic transactions is growing. In Sweden in 2000, electronic sales, including those over all computer-mediated networks, were more than 10% of total sales. Business-to-consumer Internet sales have not taken off, but it is not simply a question of access. About a third of the individuals in Denmark who use the Internet order goods or services on it, whereas in Finland only about one-sixth of those online use it for buying and in Italy, where more than 20% of the population use the Internet, online buying is negligible. Business-to-business e-commerce has grown faster but is still well below the level of Internet availability. At least half of businesses in all EU countries, and in some cases more than 80%, use the Internet, but only in Sweden do more than half of those using the Internet exploit it for ordering.

• OECD Information Technology Outlook: 2002 edition, OECD, forthcoming.

© OECD Observer No 231/232, May 2002