According to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the number of smartphone users in India is anticipated to surpass one billion by 2025.
The report noted that by 2025, approximately 56 per cent of all new internet users in India are expected to emerge from rural areas, marking a significant shift in the country’s digital landscape. This growth indicates that rural regions are becoming a vital source of new internet users. Furthermore, the report anticipated that 65 per cent of these new users will be female, highlighting progress toward greater gender equality in digital engagement.
Further, it added that rural areas are projected to see a substantial increase of 26 per cent in new internet users by 2025, while urban areas will experience a more modest growth of only 10 per cent. As a result, the number of internet users in rural India is expected to surpass 504 million, compared to over 390 million in urban regions. This trend underscores the rapid expansion of internet access in rural communities, which now have more internet users than their urban counterparts.
Furthermore, it noted a shift in how people consume news, with 65 per cent of internet users relying on digital platforms such as news apps, websites, social media, and YouTube for their information. Additionally, there is a growing demand for content in regional languages, with 57 per cent of urban internet users expressing a preference for accessing information in Indic languages. This trend emphasises the need for content providers to cater to diverse linguistic preferences in India’s evolving digital ecosystem.
