Global Internet Audience Surpasses 1 billion

Asia-Pacific Region Accounts for 41 Percent of Internet Users / China Ranks as Largest Internet Population in the World[news release] comScore, Inc. reported that total global Internet audience (age 15 and older from home and work computers) has surpassed 1 billion visitors in December 2008, based on data from the comScore World Metrix audience measurement service.The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the highest share of global Internet users at 41 percent, followed by Europe (28 percent share), North America (18 percent share), Latin-America (7 percent share), and the Middle East & Africa (5 percent share).Total Worldwide Internet Audience: Regional Breakdown – Ranked by Total Unique Visitors (000)* – December 2008
Age 15+, Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore World Metrix
Region – Total Unique Visitors (000) – Share of Total Worldwide Internet Audience (%)
Worldwide – 1,007,730 – 100.0%
Asia Pacific – 416,281 – 41.3%
Europe – 282,651 – 28.0%
North America – 185,109 – 18.4%
Latin America – 74,906 – 7.4%
Middle East & Africa – 48,783 – 4.8%
* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.“Surpassing one billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet,” said Magid Abraham, President and Chief Executive Officer, comScore, Inc. “It is a monument to the increasingly unified global community in which we live and reminds us that the world truly is becoming more flat. The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that, until we have a truly global network of interconnected people and ideas that transcend borders and cultural boundaries.”Chinese Internet Audience Outranks U.S.China represented the largest online audience in the world in December 2008 with 180 million Internet users, representing nearly 18 percent of the total worldwide Internet audience, followed by the U.S. (16.2 percent share), Japan (6.0 percent share), Germany (3.7 percent share) and the U.K. (3.6 percent share).Top 15 Countries by Internet Audience – Ranked by Total Unique Visitors (000)* – December 2008
Age 15+, Home & Work Locations
Source: comScore World Metrix
Country – Total Unique Visitors (000) – Share of Total Worldwide Internet Audience (%)
Worldwide – 1,007,730 – 100.0%
China – 179,710 – 17.8%
United States – 163,300 – 16.2%
Japan – 59,993 – 6.0%
Germany – 36,992 – 3.7%
United Kingdom – 36,664 – 3.6%
France – 34,010 – 3.4%
India – 32,099 – 3.2%
Russia – 28,998 – 2.9%
Brazil – 27,688 – 2.7%
South Korea – 27,254 – 2.7%
Canada – 21,809 – 2.2%
Italy – 20,780 – 2.1%
Spain – 17,893 _ 1.8%
Mexico – 12,486 – 1.2%
Netherlands – 11,812 – 1.2%
* Excludes traffic from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.Google Sites Ranks as Top Internet Property WorldwideThe most popular property in the world in December was Google Sites, with 777.9 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites (647.9 million visitors), Yahoo! Sites (562.6 million visitors). Facebook.com, which has grown a dramatic 127-percent in the past year to 222 million visitors, now ranks as the top social networking site worldwide and the seventh most popular property in the world.
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=2696Internet users worldwide surpass 1 billion in December
McDonalds restaurants and global Internet usage share something in common.Over 1 billion served within a month.Global Internet usage reached over 1 billion unique visitors in the month of December, with 41.3 percent coming from the Asia-Pacific region, according to a report released Friday by comScore.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10149534-93.html