PremiumNew Delhi: The number of Internet users in India is set to touch 900 million by 2025, says a report by IAMAI and Kantar Research. According to the report, the country had around 622 million Internet users in 2020 which is expected to grow 45% over the next four years.
It also said the reach of Internet in urban centres at 323 million users, accounting for 67% of the country’s total urban population, is over two times that of rural areas. On the other hand, digital adoption in rural parts of India grew 13%, clocking 299 million Internet users in 2020, which is 31% of the country’s rural population.
“By 2025, there would be a greater number of internet users in rural India than in urban India. Given this, the digital ecosystem will need to evolve to address the specific needs of this emerging demography. Vernacular, Voice and Video will emerge as the game changers for the digital ecosystem over the next few years," said Biswapriya Bhattacharjee,executive vice president, Insights Division at Kantar Research.
The report added that nine of ten active users access the Internet every day, and spend an average of 107 minutes on the Internet daily. Small towns account for two of five Internet users in India, while the top 9 metros account for 33% of the active Internet user base in the country. About 58% of active Internet users in India are male, and remaining 42% are female. The ratio of active Internet user base remains the same in rural parts of the country.
Mobile phones have been the key driver of India’s Internet growth, the report said, with people using the Internet for entertainment, communication and social media the most.
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