Double Digit Internet Growth Continues
The number of active internet users worldwide will rise to almost 725 million in 2004, according to the latest forecasts from eMarketer.
Recent studies have indicated that North America is no longer the world leader in terms of number of users (see Global Internet Population Tops 600 Million). This is supported by the eMarketer research which goes on to predict that by 2004, Asia-Pacific and Europe will have achieved a five year CAGR of more than 19%. The mature North American market will have seen growth of just 9.5% over the same period.
By the end of next year, it is estimated there will be 724.9 million global internet users, almost twice as many as in 2000. Of these, 27.1% will be from the US and Canada with 30.5% from Europe and 32.5% from the Asia-Pacific region.
| Worldwide Internet Users, By Region (m) | ||||||
| Region | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | CAGR 2000-2004 (%) |
| North America | 136.7 | 156.3 | 167.7 | 179.8 | 196.3 | 9.5 |
| Europe | 108.3 | 144.4 | 175.7 | 196.2 | 221.1 | 19.5 |
| Asia-Pacific | 115.9 | 165.0 | 181.5 | 205.0 | 235.8 | 19.4 |
| Latin America | 19.3 | 26.2 | 33.1 | 43.4 | 60.6 | 33.1 |
| Africa | 4.6 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 9.2 | 11.1 | 24.6 |
| Total | 384.8 | 498.7 | 565.7 | 633.6 | 724.9 | 17.2 |
| North America includes the US and Canada; Mexico is included in Latin America | ||||||
| Source: eMarketer, May 2003 | ||||||
