The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) reports that the total number of global Internet users has doubled since 2005 and will surge past the 2 Billion mark by the end of this year. Home users have clearly been the driving force, pushing the figure up from 1.3 Billion in 2009 to 1.6 Billion by the end of 2010.

In addition, 162m of the 226m new Internet users in 2010 will be from developing countries. By the end of 2010, 71% of the population in developed countries will be online compared to 21% of the population in developing countries.

The growth of high-bandwidth content (e.g. video streaming) and subsequent demand for broadband ISP connectivity has also played a huge role. By the end of 2010, fixed broadband penetration will reach 8% globally.


Sadly broadband is still out of reach for many people in low-income countries, yet mobile telephony is now available to over 90% of the global population with a total of 5.3 billion subscriptions (3.8 billion will be in the developing world).

This is a crucial point to make because mobile access could be adjusted to carry Mobile Broadband (3G) traffic too, which would bring the internet within reach of millions more people. Global subscriptions to 3G services have increased from 72 million in 2005 to 940 million in 2010. 3G is now offered in 143 countries (up from 95 in 2007).


The price of internet access is also falling (fixed (wired) broadband prices dropped by 42% between 2008 and 2009) but remains disproportionately high in developing countries (i.e. those that can least afford it). In 2009, an entry-level fixed broadband connection cost on average 190 PPP$ (Purchasing power parity in USD) per month in developing countries, compared to only 28 PPP$ in developed countries.

By the end of 2010, 71% of the population in developed countries will be online compared to 21% of the population in developing countries. Regional differences are significant: 65% of Europeans are on the Internet, compared to only 9.6% of Africans.

In September 2010 the United Nations and ITU called on governments and development agencies around the world to make broadband internet access a top priority (original news). It's hoped that improved broadband could also assist the United Nations (UN) in reaching its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of raising living standards and reducing poverty by 2015.

The ITU World in 2010 report (PDF)
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/material/FactsFigures2010.pdf