India, being the second largest population in the world, serves as a growing customer base for companies of different sectors. One such industry that will benefit the most from an increasing customer base is the technology Industry. According to a recent study, the number of active internet users in India is expected to grow by nearly 45% by 2025. With this substantial growth, the number of active internet users in India will touch 900 million in the next four years. In 2020, the number of active internet users in India stood at 622 million.
Rural Internet Population Grew More than Urban India in 2020
A research report by IAMAI-Kantar Cube revealed that by 2025, rural India would have a higher number of internet users than urban centres. According to that research, a need to strengthen the digital ecosystem in the country is indicated. Telecom companies need to start building infrastructure that can support and reach the rural corners of the country in anticipation of the upcoming demand. The report also included statistics comparing the growth of the internet population between rural and urban India. It showed that in 2020, the rural internet population grew by 13% compared to just a 4% growth in urban India. In terms of the reach of the internet, 323 million users have access to the internet in urban centres, which constitutes 67% of the entire urban population. In rural India, 299 million users have access to the internet, constituting just 31% of the entire rural population of the country. This shows that the digital adoption rate in urban centres in 2020 was over two times more than in rural areas.
Statistics on Uses of the Internet Revealed
According to the reports, nine out of ten active users access the internet on a daily basis. On average, an active user spends 107 minutes on the internet every day. Of every five internet users in India, two are from small towns of the country. The top 9 metro cities in India account for 33% of the active internet user base. The report further dwells into the use case of the internet in the country as well. It shows that 96% of total internet users access the internet for entertainment. This is followed by 90% use of the internet for communication and 82% use to access social media.
