Of this number, more than 2 billion will be using mobile devices to do so. But what are the world's Internet users doing online? A new IDC infographic, How the World Uses the Internet, looks at the global Internet population and some of its online activities, (see below).
Growth in Internet access is taking place around the world, but some countries are seeing particularly rapid growth. China, India, and Indonesia lead the way and will account for almost half of the gains in access globally over the course of the next five years. The combination of lower-cost devices and inexpensive wireless networks are making accessibility easier in countries with populations that could not previously afford them.
The total number of mobile Internet users is forecast to rise at a pace of two percent annually through 2020 unless significant new methods of accessing the Internet are introduced. Efforts by Google, SpaceX, and Facebook among others to make the Internet available to the remaining four billion people via high altitude planes, balloons, and satellites are underway. However, it remains unclear how successful these endeavors will be and when they will be operational at scale.
Measuring what Internet users are doing online shows that many activities are enjoyed by billions of people. For example, more than a billion people use the Internet to bank online, to stream music, and to find a job. More than two billion use email and read news online. And more people than ever are making purchases online. In 2015, more than $100 billion will be spent online on each of the following categories: travel, books, CDs and DVDs, downloading apps, and online classes. These purchases are enabled by online payment platforms that are making payments, online and offline, easier and more secure.
As more people are spending more time and money online, increasingly through mobile devices, advertisers are recognizing this trend and shifting their spending accordingly. Almost all of the growth in advertising spending across all of its forms is attributable to the growth in mobile advertising and online video. Advertisers are able to direct ads to users based on their preferences as indicated by online behavior, which allows them to better understand how their content is being absorbed than ads on television and radio.
Data for the infographic comes from IDC's Worldwide New Media Market Model, which offers a detailed view of Internet demographics, access devices and broadband households, online activities, ecommerce, Internet advertising, and consumer spending on online media for more than 40 countries.
