[eccr] 10% of the world's population now have internet access

Title: 10% of the world's population now have internet access

10% of the world's population now have internet access

10 per cent of the world's population, or 580.78m people, have internet access, according to Nua. com's 2002 Global Internet Trends report. 

The figure represents an increase of 173.68m since December 2000 when 407.1m people were online. 

The report shows that for the first time ever, Europe has the highest number of internet users in the world. There are now 185.83m Europeans online, compared to 182.83m in the US and Canada. 

The number of internet users in Asia/Pacific has also risen dramatically over the last couple of years and there are now 167.86m people with 
access to the net in the region. 

The Nua study indicates that if anything, the digital divide between developed and developing nations is as wide as it ever was. While Europeans account for 32 per cent of global internet users, only six per cent of the world's internet users are based in Latin America, and just one per cent each in the Middle East and Africa. 

In fact, France has double the number of internet users than either Africa or the Middle East. While both regions have seen a slight increase in the numbers of people who can access the internet, the lack of telecoms infrastructures in these regions means that most citizens remain unconnected. 

Nua forecasts that over one billion people will be online by the end of 2005. 

Author:
Cathy O'Sullivan is assistant editor of Europemedia.net. She has just completed an Honours Degree in English and Sociology at University College Cork in Ireland. During her time at U.C.C. Cathy was Editor of The University Examiner and Current Affairs Producer for Cork Campus Radio.

Source: http://www.europemedia.net/shownews.asp?ArticleID=12003