Europe has Highest Number of Internet Users in World, says Nua

Almost 10% of the world’s population now has access to the Internet, according to Nua.com, the compiler of internet statistics. Figures for internet use had grown to 580.78M people by the end of May 2002, up from 407.1M in December 2000.

The Nua study indicates that for the first time ever, Europe has the highest number of internet users in the world. There are now 185.83M Europeans online, compared to 182.83M in the US and Canada, and 167.86M in the Asia/Pacific region.

The study also indicates that the digital divide between developed and developing nations is as wide as it ever was. While Europeans account for 32% of global internet users, only 6% are based in Latin America, while the Middle East and Africa combined account for just 2% of the world's internet users.

Nua says that while the Middle East and Africa have seen a slight increase in the numbers of people who can access the internet, the lack of telecommunications infrastructures in these regions means that most citizens remain unconnected.

The study reveals that the country with the highest rate of internet penetration at the end of May 2002 was Iceland with 69.80%. The UK is in the top ten with a reported 56.88%.

Nua forecasts that the number of worldwide Internet users will reach one billion by 2005.

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