Smartphone and Internet usage is on the rise in developing economies
Connectivity and the technology that connects us continues to grow and expand across the globe. As countries with advanced economies slowly inch toward 100% usage of smartphones and the Internet, developing countries have been closing the gap.
As of 2015, about 54% of adults in 21 countries with developing economies are using the Internet, up from 45% in 2013, according to a report from the Pew Research Center. An even larger increase has been the use of smartphones in developing economies, jumping from 21% in 2013 to 37% in 2015. In countries with advanced economies, about 87% of adults use the Internet and 68% own a smartphone.
You May Also Like
Check out this graph from the Pew Research Center that shows current data for Internet users and smartphone owners in each country, mapped against GDP per capita.
This report doesn't exactly reflect the entirety of the developing world -- it attributes much of the large usage jumps to the rapidly developing countries Turkey, China, Brazil and Malaysia, which are defined as having emerging economies. Turkey saw the largest jump in smartphone ownership, going up 42 percentage points to 59% between 2013 and 2015, and Malaysia jumped 34 percentage points in the same time to 65%.
The report also says that people who have better education and/or higher income are more likely to use the Internet or own a smartphone in every country with that data available. People aged 18-34 are also more likely to be connected, even reaching 100% for Internet usage in countries with advanced economies like Canada, Italy, Spain and Australia.
Most people who are connecting to the Internet or own smartphones are using social media, the report says, and a higher percentage are doing so in countries with lower Internet connectivity rates. In the Middle East and Latin America respectively, 86% and 82% of Internet users surveyed use social networking, compared to 71% in the U.S. and 65% in Europe.
The data show smartphones are becoming more abundant and the Internet is growing increasingly accessible around the globe, and large countries with developing economies are the biggest driving force in building a connected world. As the technology gets cheaper and large companies like Facebook and Google continue to work to make the Internet a more accessible utility, the numbers will only continue to rise.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
