2.9bn people still never used Internet – ITU
An estimated 37 per cent of the world’s population – or 2.9 billion people – have still never used the Internet according to new data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs).
The report also reveals strong global growth in Internet use, with the estimated number of people who have used the Internet surging to 4.9 billion in 2021, from an estimated 4.1 billion in 2019. This comes as good news for global development.
Of the 2.9 billion still offline, an estimated 96 per cent live in developing countries. And even among the 4.9 billion counted as ‘Internet users’, many hundreds of millions may only get the chance to go online infrequently, via shared devices, or using connectivity speeds that markedly limit the usefulness of their connection.
Houlin Zhao, secretary general of ITU, said, “While almost two-thirds of the world’s population is now online, there is a lot more to do to get everyone connected to the Internet. ITU will work with all parties to make sure that the building blocks are in place to connect the remaining 2.9 billion. We are determined to ensure no one will be left behind.”
The unusually sharp rise in the number of people online suggests that measures taken during the pandemic – such as widespread lockdowns and school closures, combined with people’s need for access to news, government services, health updates, e-commerce and online banking – contributed to a ‘COVID connectivity boost’ that has brought an estimated 782 million additional people online since 2019, an increase of 17 per cent.
