World Internet Population Continues To Rise

The E-Commerce and Development Report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) claims that a third of the new users in 2001 were from developing countries although the internet remains largely the preserve of the developed world. In Africa, just one in 118 people have access to the web.

According to 2001 figures, the US was the country with the most internet users, nearly 143 million, and accounted for almost 45% of total world ecommerce. However, the market is approaching saturation point and Canada and the USA saw numbers increase by just 10% last year while other parts of the world experienced more significant growth. In recent months, Nua has produced figures showing that Europe and the Asia/Pacific region have now surpassed North America in terms of number of users (see Global Internet Population Tops 600 Million).

Growth In Internet Users, By Region 2001
Region	% Growth
Asia	44
Africa	43
Latin America	33
Europe	33
North America	10
Source: United Nations, November 2002

E-commerce forecasts Despite the worldwide economic slowdown, e-commerce continues to thrive and estimates show that revenues will total $2.3 billion in 2002, an increase of 50% on last year’s figure. It is forecasted that the trade will be worth $3.9 million in 2003 and if growth is maintained, e-commerce will account for approximately 18% of worldwide B2B and retail transactions by 2006. M-commerce is still in its infancy but the UN claims that revenues will increase from $50 million this year to $225 million in three years time.

Worldwide E-Commerce Estimates & Forecasts ($ billion)
Source	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Forrester Research			2,293.50	3,878.80	6,201.10	9,240.60	12,837.30
IDC	354.90	615.30				4,600.00
eMarketer*	278.19	474.32	823.48	1,408.57	2,367.47
* B2B only
Source: UNCTAD, November 2002; various, as noted