Just over half of the global population, 3.9 billion people, use the Internet, the United Nations announced on Friday, Agence France Presse reports.
The International Telecommunications Union, a UN agency that coordinates and develops global telecommunications systems, has found that “by the end of 2018, we will surpass the 50/50 milestone for Internet use,” according to ITU head Houlin Zhou.
Among the richest countries in the world, Internet use has grown from 51.3 percent in 2005 to 80.9 percent today. In developing nations, 45.3 percent of people are online now, compared to anywhere from 2.1 percent to 24.4 percent in 2005.
The ITU also found that landline telephone subscriptions remain in decline, as just 12.4 percent of people have a fixed-line, while 69.3 percent have cellular broadband subscriptions. About 5.3 billion in total have an active mobile broadband subscription, 96 percent of people live near a mobile cellular network, and 90 percent of people have access to the Internet via a 3G network of better.
“This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society,” Zhou added. “Far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy.”
He also said that more support is needed for “technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leaves no one offline.”
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