The US remains the single largest Internet market in the world with 181.9 million Internet users in 2006, but China is likely to take the lead before the decade is out.
Things are changing in Web world.
Morgan Stanley estimates that by the end of 2007 there will be over 1.3 billion Internet users worldwide.
"The Internet is about 10 years old in the US and the number of Internet users continues to grow steadily, if somewhat more slowly than in the past," says Ben Macklin, eMarketer senior analyst and the author of the new Worldwide Internet Users: 2005-2011 report. "eMarketer estimates that by 2011 there will be 211.3 million Internet users accessing the Internet at least once a month, up from 175.4 million at the end of 2005."
By 2008, two-thirds of the population will be Internet users in the US, and this will rise to over 70% of the population by 2011.
"But while the US Internet population continues to grow," says Mr. Macklin, "the rest of the world is growing even faster."
And nowhere is it growing faster than in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly China.
"China is quickly emerging as the largest Internet market in the world as its middle class grows and home Internet access becomes widespread," says Mr. Macklin. "India, however, is still struggling to develop its telecommunications infrastructure so it has the supply of Internet access to meet what is sure to be high demand."
He adds, "Australia continues to be a leading Internet market in the region, and while it is the smallest market of those examined for this report, its influence is not insignificant in the region." (Disclaimer: Mr. Macklin is Australian.)
Australia has long been one of the leading Internet countries in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of Internet penetration, and its online population will continue to expand over the coming years. eMarketer projects that there will be 15.3 million Internet users in Australia in 2011, up from 12.5 million in 2005.
Get the latest Internet facts and figures on countries around the world, purchase eMarketer's new Worldwide Internet Users: 2005-2011 report today.