India had over 700 mn active internet users by Dec ‘22: Report

India had over 700 million active internet users aged 2 years and above as of December 2022, according to Nielsen’s India Internet Report 2023. Of these, rural India accounted for 425 million users, which was almost 44% higher than the number of active internet users in urban areas, with 295 million users.

The report also revealed that there is still significant potential for growth in rural markets, as nearly half of the rural population is not actively using the internet. The active internet user base, aged 12 years and above, grew by over 20% Year-over-Year (YoY) to reach 595 million in 2022.

The report showed that rural areas outperformed urban areas in terms of growth, with a 30% increase in the number of active internet users compared to urban areas’ 10% growth. Female active internet users grew by 27%, whereas male users increased by around 18%. Additionally, the report found that the lowest population strata of below 100,000 towns and rural areas were the highest growth drivers.

Nearly 90% of internet users were daily users. The gap between urban and rural narrowed compared to the previous year, with 93% of urban and 86% of rural daily users using the internet daily.

The report also found that there were over 450 million smartphone users in the country, with video watching and video calling being the top two online activities among those aged 12 and older. Digital news also saw significant growth, with nearly one out of five Indians watching digital news now, a 20% increase from the previous year.

Although online banking and digital payments grew by 43%, the study found that they still have a lot of potential for growth. Overall, the report highlights the massive potential of the Indian market, particularly in rural areas, for internet and digital technology adoption.

Source: Economic Times