More Israelis own smartphones than any other nation except Britain, according to a new survey.

Fifty seven per cent of Israel's population have access to a smartphone. In Britain the figure is 62 per cent, compared to 42 per cent in France and 40 per cent of Germans.

The survey, conducted by Google and Ipsos MediaCT, questioned 1,000 smartphone users aged between 18 and 64 in dozens of countries.

The results show that, though smartphones entered the Israeli market late, only in 2009 (compared with the worldwide launch in 2007), Israel is a world leader in using them.

Israelis beat the British when it come to accessing the internet by smartphone, with 93 per cent going online compared to 83 per cent in the UK.

Eighty-four per cent of Israeli users download apps while 82 per cent access maps and update social networks via their phones.

Viewing of video clips and YouTube is also high at 77 per cent of users, while the percentage of Israelis who watch full programmes online is 48 per cent.

And 50 per cent say they are comfortable using their smartphones while attending social gatherings, a jump from 16 per cent in 2011.