Internet Users In India To Cross 500 Mn By June 2018; Rural India Witnesses 14.11% Growth: Report

A report titled ‘Internet in India 2017’ expects the number of Internet users in India to reach 500 Mn by June 2018.

According to the report, published jointly by the Internet and Mobile Association of India and Kantar IMRB, the country recorded 11.34% growth in the number of Internet users to 481 Mn in December 2017, compared to earlier year.

As of December 2017, the overall Internet penetration was 35% of the country’s total population, the study revealed.

Furthermore, urban India witnessed a growth of 9.66% from December 2016 and is presently estimated to have around 295 Mn Internet users, as of December 2017.

On the other hand, rural India witnessed a 14.11% YoY growth in the Internet using population, which stood at the 186 Mn mark at the end of December 2017.

Some of the major points of the study are:

• • Internet penetration in urban India was 64.84% and in rural India was 20.26% in December 2017.
  • There are nearly 281 Mn daily Internet users, out of which 182.9 Mn access Internet daily in urban areas, as compared to only 98 Mn users in rural India.

• • The Internet is accessible to nearly 143 Mn female users, which is nearly 30% of total Internet users. There has been steady growth in the number of rural female Internet users.
  • Demographically, the Internet is the preserve for youngsters. The popularity of entertainment, social networking, etc makes the Internet more attractive for youngsters presently.

The Internet penetration in the country has also seen a steady rise. Recently, a Google-BCG report suggested that digital spending by consumers is expected to grow nearly 2.5 times to $100 Bn by 2020.

Also, the Economic Survey 2018 said that India’s ecommerce market has reached $33 Bn registering a 19.1% growth in 2016-2017.

The growth of the Internet in India has been put into perspective in the report by IAMAI and Kantar IMRB, as the country is witnessing an unprecedented digital revolution under the government’s Digital India initiative.

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