Three billion on the internet by year's end

By the end of 2014, there will be almost 3 billion internet users globally, with two-thirds of them from the developing world. The figures released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) also show that there will be 2.3 billion mobile broadband subscribers by the end of the year, with 55% of them in developing countries.

The ITU data shows that mobile cellular subscriptions are expected to reach almost 7 billion by the end of 2014, with 3.6 billion of them in the Asia-Pacific. Developing countries are the main growth area, accounting for 78% of the total globally.

But the data also shows that the mobile market could be reaching saturation point, as mobile cellular growth is not at its lowest ever level (2.6%).

Fixed broadband penetration is expected to reach almost 10% globally by the end of 2014, with 44% of all subscriptions in the Asia-Pacific and 25% in Europe. Growth rates vary, with Africa, the Arab States and the Commonwealth of Independent States all having double-digit growth, while the Americas are forecast to achieve growth of only 2.5%.

The ITU study shows that fixed-line telephony has been declining over the past five years, with 100 million fewer connections in 2014 than in 2009.

Graphic: Fabio Lanari/Wikimedia Commons CC.