# Internet penetration in USA **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 7, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320 "2013-11-07T09:02:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/1 "2013-11-07T09:02:08Z")
Wikipedia says its [81%](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users) in year 2012. What does it mean - Is it close to an estimate of average number of unique devices that access internet say weekly or is it the estimate of number of people using internet based on the estimate of devices accessing the internet? Because on 1 desktop computer, multiple members of a house can access internet. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/2 "2013-11-07T09:45:07Z")
If you look at the wikipedia cite, that statistic comes from the International Telecommunications Union, and it refers to the percentage of individuals, not the number of households with a computer. If you look at their web site, they have separate statistics for: ``` Fixed-telephone subscriptions Mobile-cellular subscriptions Active mobile-broadband subscriptions Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions Households with a computer Households with Internet access at home Individuals using the Internet ``` > **[Statistics](https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx)** I didn’t poke around enough to see exactly how they derived those statistics. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/3 "2013-11-07T13:16:42Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > If you look at the wikipedia cite, that statistic comes from the International Telecommunications Union, and it refers to the percentage of individuals, not the number of households with a computer. > > If you look at their web site, they have separate statistics for: > > ``` > Fixed-telephone subscriptions > Mobile-cellular subscriptions > Active mobile-broadband subscriptions > Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions > Households with a computer > Households with Internet access at home > Individuals using the Internet > > ``` > > [Statistics](http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx) > > I didn’t poke around enough to see exactly how they derived those statistics. Thank you, **engineer\_comp\_geek**. For USA in 2012 : Wired broadband subscriptions ~88.5 million. Mobile-cellular subscriptions ~310 million Percentage of individuals using the Internet 81%(~254 million). Would it be right to say that they are using fair amount of estimation here? Do these figures look quite correct? Like 1 in every 5 people aren’t using internet in USA. I don’t even live in the US but just wanted to know. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/4 "2013-11-07T14:39:14Z")
> [@](#): > > Do these figures look quite correct? Like 1 in every 5 people aren’t using internet in USA. Seems reasonable to me. Old people who never bothered with computers, people too poor to have one, people who would like Internet access but live in places where all the options are too expensive… It adds up. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/5 "2013-11-07T15:09:10Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Seems reasonable to me. Old people who never bothered with computers, people too poor to have one, people who would like Internet access but live in places where all the options are too expensive… It adds up. Thanks. In India, there are about 164 million users out of 1200 million population. main reasons for this are cost of internet, cost of devices, lack of knowledge of English language. Though with 4G LTE coming up and broadband increase, this penetration is expected go to 600 million by 2020. I was just wondering that even in developed countries its not close to 100% such as the US its 81% or for ex. Italy where its 58%…so we should expect 60%-80% maximum in India even after all these measures and after say 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/6 "2013-11-07T16:52:18Z")
There are quite a few countries in Europe that have \> 90% internet penetration (hurr hurr), but it looks like about 70-80% across the developed world is common. I can’t imagine that India will ever achieve 100% telephone access, let alone internet. > **[List of countries by number of Internet users](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users)** > > Below is a sortable list of countries by number of Internet users as of 2020. Internet users are defined as persons who accessed the Internet in the last 12 months from any device, including mobile phones.\[Note 1\] Percentage is the percentage of a country's population that are Internet users. Estimates are derived either from household surveys or from Internet subscription data. > All United Nations member states are included, except North Korea, whose number of internet users is estimated at ... ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/7 "2013-11-07T17:14:30Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > There are quite a few countries in Europe that have \> 90% internet penetration (hurr hurr), but it looks, like about 70-80% across the developed world is common. I can’t imagine that India will ever achieve 100% telephone access, let alone internet. > > [List of countries by number of Internet users - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users) Phone usage is not the issue. India had 960 million mobile phone connections last I checked as opposed to just 164 million internet users latest. Normal phone costs as less as Rs 600, call rates are quite low too. Smartphones cost 5000 minimum upto maximum of 50k rupees n over the top of it, 3G packages are expensive for a lot of people, a lot of people do not understand English - like I said, these are the impediments currently. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/8 "2013-11-07T17:47:16Z")
India’s median age is around 26 years, so 600 million people of 1200 million population will be 26 or below, this means tht around 300 million will be 13 or below. Most 13 years old and younger kids do not own a people, which leaves the rest of pop. at 900 millions. So we can conclude that even the most of poor people, people in villages, or old people own a phone. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/9 "2013-11-07T21:27:07Z")
> [@Dervorin](#): > > There are quite a few countries in Europe that have \> 90% internet penetration (hurr hurr), but it looks like about 70-80% across the developed world is common. I can’t imagine that India will ever achieve 100% telephone access, let alone internet. > > [List of countries by number of Internet users - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users) Wow, apparently the most wired place of all is the Falkland Islands! ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/10 "2013-11-07T21:48:42Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Wow, apparently the most wired place of all is the Falkland Islands! And everyone is engaged in flame wars with the people who insist they live on _Islas Malvinas_. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/11 "2013-11-07T21:50:50Z")
huh huh…_internet penetration_. That’s right, we all know what it’s _really_ for. Oh alright, just so my presence here isn’t entirely gratuitous: I have a number of older machines running Win XP that are basically useless to me because I have newer tech at my disposal. Anyone know of an organization I can donate the machines to that will get them (free) to folks who can’t afford a computer? ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/12 "2013-11-07T23:17:03Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > And everyone is engaged in flame wars with the people who insist they live on _Islas Malvinas_. What, all two of them? ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-penetration-in-usa/673320/13 "2013-11-08T02:48:46Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > huh huh…_internet penetration_. That’s right, we all know what it’s _really_ for. Right, ‘penetration’ word is funny considering one of the main purpose for which internet is used.🙂 We pay all our bills, book all our tickets, search for jobs, businesses, study, mail, gain info, get aware, entertain etc on the internet. Around 4.5 billion people of this world do not access internet, most of them not because they don’t want it.