Digital India: Internet user base to cross 500 mn by June 2018, says IAMAI

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The number of internet users in India is expected to reach 500 million by June 2018, according to a report published by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and market research firm IMRB on Tuesday.

The estimated number of internet users was 481 million in December 2017 with an overall penetration of 35 percent of total population.

Urban India witnessed a growth of 9.66 percent from December 2016 and is presently estimated to have around 295 million internet users as on December 2017. Whereas rural India witnessed a growth of 14.11 percent in 2016 and is presently estimated to have around 186 million internet users in 2017.

Even though the growth rate in rural India may seem higher but the overall internet users are still critically low. The report also states that 62 percent of urban area have daily internet access as compared to 53 percent in the rural area.

Gender-wise only 30 percent of total internet users are female showing a digital gender gap in the urban areas.

The proportion of internet users by gender in rural areas has seen much change over last year with internet users among rural female users is growing steadily.

According to the report, in terms of demography, students and youngsters account for around 60 percent of all internet users in India.

The report also finds that an estimated 281 million Internet users, access internet daily.