According to research firm eMarketer, India which accounts for the third largest online user base globally after China and the United States, has had the lowest internet penetration growth in Asia-Pacific (APAC) region as of May 2014.
However, India reported higher growth rate in its online user base in comparison to other APAC countries such as China and Indonesia. The research firm expects the total number of internet users in the APAC region to reach 1.33 billion by the end of 2014.
Further, eMarketer states that there is a clear split between developed internet economies such as South Korea, Japan and Australia, which have at least three-quarters of their total populations online and less developed, but growing, markets such as Indonesia and India. At the end of May 2014, with the penetration rate of 78.9 per cent South Korea accounted for the highest internet penetration growth in the APAC region, followed by Japan (77.3 per cent), Australia (76 per cent), China (48.5 per cent) and Indonesia (33 per cent).
Interestingly, with the penetration rate of 28.9 per cent, India led the internet user growth in the APAC region followed by Indonesia (14.9 per cent), China (6 per cent), Australia (1.7 per cent), Japan (0.8 per cent) and South Korea (0.7 per cent). The research firm underlines that developing markets are witnessing faster growth in their online populations because of their relatively smaller bases coupled with the fact that internet market in these countries is yet to reach a saturation point.
Going forward, eMarketer forecasts India?s internet population to post double digit growth between 2012 and 2018, while Indonesia is likely to witness 10 per cent or higher growth in its internet user base through 2016. In comparison, the research firm expects online populations of South Korea and Japan to stagnate over the forecast period (2012 to 2018).
