A Decade of Internet Usage Growth: 2000 - 2010

In conjunction with a separate presentation conducted on the "Growth of Social Media Outlets" I was curious to find out how many users Worldwide now have access to the Internet realm. Making reference to the attached table below, obtained from the following website at , I was a bit awestruck that nearly 29% of all individuals worldwide now have access to the internet! This number equates to approximately 1.97 Billion Internet Users based upon the June 2010 global population estimate of 6.85 Billion people.



What really started to catch my interest was the growth rate of Internet usage from 2000 to present day (or as the Table suggests, June 2010). Concurrent to the final months of my high school tenure, wherein I graduated in 2001 from Shakopee HS in Minnesota, the total internet usage statistics were an estimated 361 Million users worldwide. Now fast forward time a mere decade to June 2010, and the number has compounded itself by almost 4.5 Times! A growth rate of nearly 445% is almost mind-numbing.

Furthermore, this quick observation of internet usage over the last 10-years has allowed me to see the entire spectrum of advancements in technology. The initial 56K dial-up modem has now transformed into an internet connection that is nearly 10 times faster on my handheld Smartphone. Even more, nearly 47% of all users who currently have a so-called Smartphone have access to the something that is still considerably 'unknown' in more than half of the worldwide populace. Unbelievable how technology has transformed our everyday actions!!