Top 15 Countries with the Most Internet Users

January 12, 1998 - According to the Internet Industry Almanac the U.S. has an overwhelming lead in Internet users with over 54% of the total. However, the U.S. share is dropping rapidly as other countries are adopting the Internet technology. The U.S. share was nearly 65% in 1994, over 80% in 1991 and is projected to dip to 40% by year-end 2000. This is a common trend in the computer industry as the U.S. normally is the pioneer in a new market segment. As the technology spreads, the U.S. market share declines and usually drops to less than 30% when the technology reaches the mature phase

The countries with the most Internet users are the large industrialized countries plus some of the smaller industrialized countries that were early adopters of the Internet. Examples are Finland, Sweden, Norway and Switzerland. Over time these smaller industrialized countries will by replaced by the most populous countries such as China and Russia. These numbers include business, educational and home Internet users. The top 15 countries with the most Internet users and their share of total users are ranked in the next table. The rankings are based on year-end 1997 estimates.

There are currently 11 countries with more than 1M Internet users. In 1998 there will probably be 9 more countries that will surpass the 1M mark: Spain, Brazil, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Korea, Taiwan and possibly Denmark and South Africa. For more information see Market Research Reports.