Half world population now use Internet revealed ITU - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

More than half of the world’s population is now using the Internet, according to the 2018 global and regional Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) estimates by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), reports ITREALMS.

ITU which is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), ITREALMS gathered, estimated that at the end of 2018, 51.2 per cent of the global population, or 3.9 billion people, will be using the Internet.

The Secretary General, ITU, Mr. Houlin Zhao, made this known to ITREALMS, asserting that ITU’s global and regional estimates for 2018 are a pointer to the great strides the world is making towards building a more inclusive global information society.

“By the end of 2018, we will surpass 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,” he said.

Director of ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, Brahima Sanou, said that the new 2018 estimates revealed that there continues to be a general upward trend in the access to and use of information and communication technologies.

“Access to telecommunication networks continues to increase, in particular in mobile connections. However, affordability should continue to be at the top of our priorities for the digital economy to become a reality for all,” Sanou said.

According to ITU, in developed countries, slow and steady growth increased the percentage of population using the Internet, from 51.3 per cent in 2005 to 80.9 per cent in 2018. In developing countries, growth has been much more sustained increasing from 7.7 per cent in 2005 to 45.3 per cent at the end of 2018.
ITREALMS also gathered that of all ITU regions, the strongest growth was reported in Africa, where the percentage of people using the Internet increased from 2.1 per cent in 2005 to 24.4 per cent in 2018. Equally, ITU disclosed that the regions with the lowest growth rates were Europe, with 79.6 per cent, and the Americas, with 69.6 per cent of the population using the Internet.

In the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, 71.3 per cent will be using the Internet; 54.7 per cent in the Arab States and 47 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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