71% Developed, 21% Developing Countries’ Population Online: ITU Survey

According to a study by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) over two billion people will log on to the internet in the year 2010. The study demonstrates an over 100% increase in the population size online, with much of the gains coming from a specific part of the “second world”: China, who now holds the world’s largest online population, with large gains in India as well. According to the ITU survey, the developed world will have 71% of their population online by the end of the year, but the developing countries’ population remains relatively unplugged with a dismal 21%. But compared to a few years ago, that number is a vast improvement, and shows that even places such as Africa may only be a decade or two away from having a majority of their population online.

The ITU survey also found the world would have a shocking 6.1 trillion text messages in 2010 (that’s almost 1,000 for every human being on the planet!) and the The International Telecommunication Union forecasts 5.3 billion mobile phone subscriptions with 3.8 billion of the 5.3 billion coming from developing countries. The ITU survey also found that 90% of the world had access to mobile networks, which by extension allows them internet access if they choose (more importantly, if they can afford it).