37% people in world still have not used the internet: UNITU

NEW DELHI: The United Nations International Telecommunication Union released a new report stating that 2.9 billion people around the globe, amounting to around 37 per cent of the world’s population, have never used the internet. The figure is this high despite the COVID-19 pandemic driving people online for basic necessities. According to the agency, the estimated number of people who went online has increased from 4.1 billion in 2019 to 4.9 billion this year, thanks in part to the “Covid connectivity boost.”

96 per cent of the people, who still have not used the internet, live in the developing countries. Since, the internet has long been a source of countless opportunities for personal fulfilment, professional development and value creation, those who remain unconnected face multiple barriers, including a lack of access. The number of internet users increased by 10.2 per cent in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, the greatest growth in a decade. It was driven by developing countries where internet use went up 13.3 per cent. In 2021, growth rate has returned to a more modest 5.8 per cent, in line with pre-crisis rates.