India is poised to have 402 million Internet users by this December, giving it the second-largest online user base in the world. It will overtake the United States to occupy the second position after China, which leads with 600 million users. India had 375 million Internet users at the end of October.
The findings were based on a survey conducted by the Internet and Mobile Association of India and market research firm IMRB International in 35 Indian cities. “While Internet in India took more than a decade to move from 10 million to 100 million and 3 years from 100 to 200 million, it took only a year to move from 300 to 400 million users,” the report said.[related-posts]
Here are the key findings of the survey.
Internet user base really accelerated in 2015
India’s Internet user base has increased by 49% as compared to last year. The figure is expected to increase to 462 million by June 2016.
Over 76% users access the Internet on their phones
This increase is a result of growing mobile phone usage in the country. By Dec. 2015, around 306 million users are expected to access the internet through mobiles. Two-thirds of non-users also said that they would access the Internet through mobile phones in the future.
More people are coming online daily
There has also been an increase in the number of people accessing the Internet daily, with over 69% users doing this in Oct. 2015.
Men outnumber women in Internet access
The online user base still remains dominated by men. Around 71% users were male, and only 29% female. This ratio is slightly better in the country’s urban areas, with 62% male users and 38% female users. However, female Internet users are growing at a faster rate of 39% as compared to 28% for males. Nearly 88% of rural users are male, while just 12% are female.
Only a third of India has Internet access
Even after India becomes home to the second-largest Internet user base in the world, only a third of the country’s population would have Internet access.
[Mashable]
