India ranks 47 in internet inclusivity and connectivity: Facebook study
According to a report by Facebook, India ranks 47 out of 86 countries in terms of internet inclusivity and connectivity. The social media giant commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a British business providing research and analysis services, to create an 'Inclusive Internet Index' for 2018. Here are the various findings from the study.
Sweden, Singapore topped internet inclusivity index
The study stated India ranked 12 out of 23 Asian countries when it came to internet connectivity. It cited "low usage and poor quality" as causal factors, despite India having a strong internet infrastructure. Overall, Sweden topped the index followed by Singapore and the US.
33.5% men more likely to have internet access than women
Further, the report said that on an average, men are 33.5% more likely to have access to the internet than women. Molly Jackman, Public Policy Research Manager at Facebook, said, "The gap is even larger in low-income countries, which have an average gender access gap of 80.2% compared with 3.7% among high-income countries."
People in Asia, Africa feel empowered by the internet
The study noted that the internet is especially empowering the people living in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. About 67% of the total survey respondents from these regions said that access to the internet is a human right. "The majority of respondents say that the internet has helped them become more independent and economically empowered," the index noted.
3.8 billion people still do not have internet access
"Global connectivity has increased by 8.3% and more people are connected than ever before. While this progress is encouraging, we are still far from achieving full internet inclusivity," Robert Pepper, Head of Global Connectivity Policy at Facebook, said. "There are still approximately 3.8 billion people without internet access. At Facebook, we're working to change that," he added.
The index covered 91% of the world's population
The index assessed internet inclusion and connectivity on the basis of the four categories of availability, affordability, relevance, and readiness. The report covered 86 countries, up from 75 countries in 2017, which consisted of 91% of the world's population.
