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However, growth was subdued between the third and fourth* quarters, with digital listening rising from 24.8% in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter of 2009 digital listening came in at 20.9% while analogue took 66.6%. Analogue listening has grown year on year to 67%.  

DAB listening continues its upward trend, climbing from 15.3% in the third quarter to 15.8% in the fourth quarter.

Digital listening traditionally experiences its strongest growth in the first quarter due to the effect of people using DAB sets they were given at Christmas. There were 750,000 digital radios sold in the final three months of last year.

Internet listening accounted for 3.1% and digital TV listening for 4.3% - the gap between the two has narrowed from the previous quarter when it was 2.8% to 4.4%.

One of the criteria the government has said it is necessary to meet before digital radio switchover is for digital to account for at least 50% of listening.

The BBC, Global Radio, Bauer Media and GMG Radio are working as part of Digital Radio UK to ensure the industry meets the criteria by 2013, for a proposed switchover in 2015.

This means there is a maximum of 24 months left to take digital's share from 25% to 50%.

Ford Ennals, chief executive of Digital Radio UK, said: "The achievements of 25% of listening to digital platforms, and nearly 45% of listeners listening to digital each week, represent key milestones as digital radio moves into the mainstream of UK radio listening.

"Following a strong start to 2011 we look forward to seeing the Q1 listening figures in May, when we will see the benefit of listening to the 750,000 digital radios which were sold in the last quarter of 2010."

*The survey's fourth quarter ran from 20 September to 19 December.