Approximately 694 million people aged 15 and older worldwide are using the Internet, accounting for 14% of the population in this age group.
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Source: AFP |
These figures are the result of research conducted by comScore Networks, which stated it has “accurately calculated for the first time the scale and behavior of global Internet users.” The estimated number of 694 million comes after the company conducted surveys in major markets such as the United States, Western Europe, East Asia, and even China and India.
“Today, Internet users in the U.S. account for less than a quarter of the total global Internet user population, while 10 years ago, they made up two-thirds,” said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix.
Nevertheless, the U.S. remains the country with the highest number of Internet users at 152 million, followed by China (72 million), Japan (52 million), Germany (32 million), and the United Kingdom (30 million).
In sixth place is South Korea (24.6 million), surpassing France (23.9 million), Canada (19 million), Italy (16.8 million), and India (16.7 million). Additionally, the Top 15 includes Brazil, a South American country actively promoting open source, as well as Spain, the Netherlands, Russia, and Australia.
What Are People Doing Online?
Surprisingly, when it comes to the time spent browsing online, the leader is not the U.S. or South Korea—the world’s “most connected” country—but rather… Israel.
People in Israel spend an average of 57.5 hours per month online, which is double the amount spent by Americans. South Korea ranks third, trailing Finland, but still surpasses the Netherlands and Taiwan.
According to comScore, these figures indicate a very high level of “engagement with the Internet outside of the United States“. In fact, the U.S. doesn’t even make it to the Top 15 when considering the number of hours users spend online each month.
The most visited websites globally are Microsoft’s MSN with 538.6 million users, followed by Google (485.8 million) and Yahoo (480.2 million).
Tian Yi
