Who is networked worldwide via the Internet and how
Published: Wednesday, Nov 27th 2024, 17:00
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The proportion of people around the world who are connected to the Internet or have cell phones is growing. However, the UN Telecommunications Organization is not moving fast enough.
Around 5.5 billion people worldwide have had access to the internet this year, but just under a third of people worldwide are still offline. The proportion of those not connected fell from 35 to 32 percent of the world's population, as reported by the UN Telecommunication Union ITU in Geneva. The development is heading in the right direction, but needs to progress faster.
According to the ITU, 2.6 billion people have not yet had access to online information this year or have therefore been unable to take advantage of educational opportunities, for example. Most of them live in less developed countries. One problem: in some places, connections cost almost a third of the average monthly income.
According to ITU estimates, 93% of people in industrialized countries have access to the Internet, compared to 27% in low-income countries. There is also a difference when it comes to cell phones: in affluent countries, 95% of people over the age of ten have such a phone, compared to only 56% in low-income countries. In the USA, there are 125 mobile broadband contracts per 100 inhabitants that provide mobile Internet access, compared to 112 in Europe and 52 in Africa.
The difference between women and men
Overall, 70% of men worldwide will use the internet this year (2023: 68%) and 65% of women (63%). Among 15 to 24-year-olds, the figure was 79% last year. In 2005, this figure was less than 20% worldwide. In 2019, just over half of the world's population had online access for the first time.
In all regions of the world, internet usage in rural areas is lower than in cities. In Europe, for example, 93% of city dwellers surf digitally, but only 86% of the rural population.
The ITU is the UN organization that deals with telecommunications and communication technologies. It has 194 member countries. Last year, it slightly overestimated the number of people with Internet access and revised it downwards, according to the organization.
©Keystone/SDA
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