Internet use is expected to be available to half of the world’s population by the end of this year.
Some 3.2 billion people predicted to be online, out of the world population of 7.2 billion. About 2 billion of these will be in parts of the developing world.
Lesser developed countries, such as Somalia and Nepal, will continue to lag behind. With a combined population of 940 million, just 89 million will access the internet.
The report comes from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations body.
Mobile telephone use is also predicted to expand, with more than 7 billion subscriptions in place.
The ITU found that 78 out of 100 people in the US and Europe already use mobile broadband, and 69% of the world has 3G coverage - but only 29% of rural areas are served.
Africa has the lowest rate with just 17.4% mobile broadband penetration.
By the end of the year 80% of households in developed countries and 34% of those in developing countries will have internet access in some form, the report continued.
The report looked back as well as forward, noting that in 2000 there were only 400 million internet users in the world. That is barely an eighth of the current number.
The report said the communications revolution over the past 15 years has driven global development in an unprecedented way. After 2015, communications will play an even more significant role as the world moves faster and faster towards a digital society.
