Despite ‘Digital India’ push, just 25% Indians use Internet: Pew survey

Despite talk of Digital India by the current Narendra Modi Government, only one-in-four Indians reportedly used the Internet in 2017, which is among the lowest Internet penetrations in the world, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.

South Korea stands out as the most heavily connected society, with 96% of adults reporting Internet use, showed the the survey conducted in 37 countries.

While a majority of people use the Internet in much of the world, sub-Saharan Africa and India have to catch up, according to the results of the survey released on June 19.

While the gap in Internet use between the emerging and advanced economies has narrowed in recent years, there are still large swathes of the world where a significant numbers of citizens do not use the Internet, the study said.

Internet penetration rates — as measured by Internet use or smartphone ownership — remain high in North America and much of Europe, as well as in parts of the Asia-Pacific. Yet, others are not far behind. In Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, the US, Israel, the UK, Germany, France and Spain, roughly nine-in-ten reportedly use the Internet. Regionally, sub-Saharan Africa is one of the least wired parts of the globe.

However, among those who use the Internet, those in developing countries often turn out to be more likely than their counterparts in advanced economies to network via platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

In 2015-16, roughly four-in-ten adults across the emerging nations surveyed said they used social networking sites. As of 2017, 53% use social media. Over the same period, social media use has been generally level in many of the advanced economies surveyed.

The report also showed that there has been a steady increase in Internet use over the past five years among the 19 emerging and developing economies surveyed. In 2013, only 16% adults in India reported using the Internet. The percentage of adults using the Internet in India went up to 25% in 2017.

Between 2013 and 2014, a median of 42% across the emerging and developing economies said they accessed the Internet at least occasionally or owned a smartphone. By 2017, a median of 64% were online. Meanwhile, Internet use among the 17 advanced economies surveyed has remained relatively flat, with a median of 87 per cent across these nations using the internet at least occasionally in 2017, similar to the 86 per cent who said this in 2015 or 2016.

Similarly, in 2013-14, about a quarter of people in emerging and developing economies reported owning a smartphone. By 2017, that share had risen to 42%. Among the advanced economies, 72% report owning a smartphone in 2017, the same rate as in 2015-16.