Internet to hit two-billion users, with most growth from emerging markets

21 Oct 2010

The number of Internet users worldwide have doubled in the past five years and will surpass the two billion mark in 2010, with most of the growth coming from emerging markets, says the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The ITU is an agency of the United Nations which regulates information and communication technology issues.

The ITU reports that the number of people with access to the Internet at home has increased from 1.4 billion in 2009 to almost 1.6 billion in 2010.

The organisation predicts that about 162 million of the 226 million new Internet users in 2010 will be from emerging markets, where Internet users are growing at a higher rate.

By the end of 2010, 71% of the population in developed countries will be online compared to 21% of the population in developing countries. While in developed countries 65% of people have access to the Internet at home, this is the case for only 13.5% of people in developing countries where Internet access in schools, at work and public locations is critical.

Regional differences are significant: 65% of Europeans are on the Internet, compared to only 9.6% of Africans.

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Source: Memeburn

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