Photo by: Matthew Henry – Burst
More people are online than you might think. New data from the United Nations (UN) agency for information and communication tech (ITU), says some 3.9 billion people are now online, meaning that for the first time in history more than half of the global population is connected. The agency predicts that by the end of the year a full 51.2 percent of people around the world will be using the world-wide web.
ITU chief Houlin Zhou said in a statement, “This represents an important step towards a more inclusive global information society. Far too many people around the world are still waiting to reap the benefits of the digital economy.” He also called for more support “to technology and business innovation so that the digital revolution leave no one offline.” Another interesting find: while fixed-line telephone subscriptions continue to dwindle worldwide, the number of mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions is now greater than the global population.
