The new figures released by the UN said, the world are expected to hit 3 billion Internet users, by the end of 2014, which accounts for about 40 per cent of the world’s population. Among those users, over three quarters are from developed countries while two-thirds come from the developing world. Moreover, people from developing countries make up for more than 90 per cent of those who are not yet using the Internet. In Africa, about one-fifth of the population will have access to the Internet; while in the Americas, nearly two-thirds of the population will be online by the end of the year. Further, Europe has the highest Internet penetration rate of 75 per cent, while the Asia-Pacific region has the largest population of Internet users, Reports, PTI

Mobile-broadband penetration levels are highest in Europe: 64%, America: 59%, CIS: 49%, Arab States: 25%, Asia-Pacific: 23% and Africa: 19%.

By the end of 2014, 44% of the world’s households will have Internet access. Close to one-third, 31% of households in developing countries will be connected to the Internet, compared with 78 percent in developed countries.

"The newly released ICT (information and communications technology) figures confirm once again that information and communication technologies continue to be the key drivers of the information society," ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure said. 

                        

The results show that fixed-telephone penetration has been declining for the last five years. By the end of 2014, there will be about 100 million fewer fixed-telephone subscriptions than in 2009. Mobile-cellular subscriptions will reach almost 7 billion by the end of 2014, and 3.6 billion of these will be in the Asia-Pacific region. The increase is mostly due to growth in the developing world where mobile-cellular subscriptions will account for 78% of the world’s total.