A recent report released by JupiterResearch indicates that over the next five years the worldwide online population will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%, which means that by 2011 there will be 1.5 billion people online. This means that 22% of the world’s entire population will be using the Internet on a regular basis.
The biggest growth will occur in Brazil, India, and China, according to the "Worldwide Online Population Forecast, 2006 to 2011" report conducted by JupiterResearch.
Currently there are 1.1 billion people that have regular access to the Internet. The worldwide population is expected to grow at a CAGR of 1.1%, which is a few notches slower than the 6.6% increase that the Internet population is expected to experience.
Brazil is expected to have a CAGR of 9%, the fastest growth rate in Latin America.
North America will still be tops in terms of the number of residents with Web access. Currently, 70% of the North American population has access to the Internet, and this figure is expected to reach 76% by 2011.
The report does note that Internet adoption has "matured" in markets such as the U.S., Canada, Japan, and the majority of Western Europe.
On the other hand, China and India are expected to grow at faster paces. China will have an online penetration rate of 17% by 2011, and India’s will be 7%, according to JupiterResearch’s expectations.
Currently, 37% of the world’s online population is Asian. This number is expected to grow to 42% by 2011.
Source:
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