DIGITAL LIFE

UN: More than half the world's population is connected to the Internet

According to estimates by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, 51.2% of the world's population will be connected to the Internet by the end of 2018.
"This is an important step towards a more inclusive global information society," ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhou said in a statement.
However, Houlin Zhou recalled that "many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy and called for" the digital revolution does not leave anyone disconnected. "
According to the ITU, the richest countries are experiencing slow but steady growth, with 80.9% of the population currently connected, compared to 51.3% in 2005.
The gains were most spectacular in developing countries, where currently 45.3% of the population is connected, compared to 7.7% 13 years ago.
According to ITU data, Africa is the fastest growing region, with 24.4% of the population connected, compared to 2.1% in 2005.
The report also shows that the number of fixed-line subscriptions continues to decline worldwide, while the number of mobile subscriptions is now larger than the world's population.
The number of mobile broadband subscriptions has soared from four per 100 inhabitants in 2007 to the current 69.3.
There are currently 5.3 billion active mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide, according to the ITU, which indicates that 96% of the world's population is covered by a mobile communications network. Lusa Agency