Smartphone Ownership and Internet Usage Continues to Climb in Emerging Economies

In 2013, a median of 45% across 21 emerging and developing countries reported using the Internet at least occasionally or owning a smartphone. In 2015, that figure rose to 54%, with much of that increase coming from large emerging economies such as Malaysia, Brazil and China. By comparison, a median of 87% use the Internet across 11 advanced economies surveyed in 2015, including the US and Canada, major Western European nations, developed Pacific nations (Australia, Japan and South Korea) and Israel. This represents a 33-percentage-point gap compared with emerging and developing nations.

For smartphone ownership, the digital divide between less advanced economies and developed economies is 31 points in 2015. But smartphone ownership rates in emerging and developing nations are rising at an extraordinary rate, climbing from a median of 21% in 2013 to 37% in 2015. And overwhelming majorities in almost every nation surveyed report owning some form of mobile device, even if they are not considered “smartphones.” While Internet access has been rising in emerging and developing nations, those worldwide who have Internet access are voracious users. Roughly three-quarters of adult Internet users across the 40 countries surveyed in 2015 say that they use the Internet at least once a day, with majorities in many countries saying that they access the web “several times a day.”