Revealed: Top 10 nations with the highest number of people offline
India tops the list with over one billion people still not connected to the internet
The United Arab Emirates ranks among top 20 countries with highest penetration of internet users in the world, according to World Bank statistics.
Dubbed the ‘internet economy’ of Middle East, the UAE ranked 17 in the world with internet penetration in the country standing at around 90.4 per cent. The country also has the highest mobile smartphone penetration rate in the region.
Globally as well, the number of internet users has more than tripled in a decade—from one billion in 2005 to an estimated 3.2 billion at the end of 2015.
The report also found that more households in developing countries own a mobile phone than have access to electricity or clean water.
However, nearly 60 per cent of the world’s population – around four billion people – still do not have any internet access and can’t fully participate in the digital economy.
Nearly two billion do not use a mobile phone and almost half a billion live outside areas with a mobile signal, the report added.
The number of people offline was found to be highest in the Asian and African regions.
Top 10 countries with the highest number of people offline
1. India
Offline population: 1.06 billion
Internet penetration rate: 34.8%
2. China
Offline population: 755 million
Internet penetration rate: 52.2%
3. Indonesia
Offline population: 213 million
Internet penetration rate: 20.4%
4. Pakistan
Offline population: 165 million
Internet penetration rate: 17.8%
5. Bangladesh
Offline population: 148 million
Internet penetration rate: 13.2%
6. Nigeria
Offline population: 111 million
Internet penetration rate: 46.1%
7. Brazil
Offline population: 98 million
Internet penetration rate: 66.4%
8. Ethiopia
Offline population: 95 million
Internet penetration rate: 4.2%
9. Mexico
Offline population: 70 million
Internet penetration rate: 45.1%
10. Congo
Offline population: 68 million
Internet Penetration Level: 3.9%