New ITU estimates show that the world has reached an important milestone for connecting people to the benefits of today’s digital economy: More than half of the world’s population is now using the Internet, according news.itu.int. By the end of 2018, an estimated 51.2 per cent of the global population, or 3.9 billion people, will be using the Internet, according to ITU’s latest statistics.
In developed countries, slow and steady growth has increased the percentage of the world’s population using the Internet, from 51.3 per cent in 2005 to 80.9 per cent in 2018. In developing countries, more-sustained growth has shown as increase from 7.7 per cent in 2005 to 45.3 per cent at the end of 2018, according news.itu.int.
“ITU’s global and regional estimates for 2018 point to the great strides the world is making towards building a more inclusive global information society,” says ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao (photo). “We have surpassed the 50/50 milestone for Internet use. This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society. However, far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy. We must encourage more investment from the public and private sectors and create a good environment to attract investments, and support technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leaves no one offline.”
“The new 2018 estimates reveal that there continues to be a general upward trend in the access to and use of information and communication technologies,” says Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. “Access to telecommunication networks continues to increase, in particular in mobile connections. As for access to the Internet, most Internet users will connect through a broadband connection, mobile-broadband accounting for an ever-increasing share.”
