More than 22 million Canadians will access the Internet regularly in 2008—over two-thirds of the nation's total population.
eMarketer estimates that over the next four years user numbers will rise by about 1.5 million annually, passing 25 million in 2012, when penetration will reach almost 73%.
For years, Canada has scored high in many measures of technology and Internet use. For example, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) placed Canada among the top 12 countries in household PC ownership in 2007, with 76.9% penetration.
Canada also ranked among the top 15 nations in the "networked readiness" of its economy, said the World Economic Forum and the respected business school INSEAD in 2007. The country scored 5.3 out of a maximum 7.0 (the highest was Denmark, with 5.78).
In early 2008, at least 7.8 million Canadians were going online every day, according to the Universal McCann Social Media Tracker.
"It is no surprise that Internet use is widespread in Canada," says Karin von Abrams, senior analyst at eMarketer and author of the new report, Canada Internet: Users and Usage. "The combination of a relatively small population and the country's large size may encourage Canadians to make the most of online communications."
But what about the fact that Canadian online growth rates are slipping?
"Overall growth is slowing for Canada's Internet population only because most residents are already online," says Ms. von Abrams.
One aspect of the Canadian online picture is growing faster—much faster.
"Broadband is more prevalent in Canada than in many other countries, including the US," says Ms. von Abrams. "Broadband penetration is also growing more quickly than the online population."
About two-thirds of households have broadband in 2008, but three-quarters of Canadian households will benefit from high-speed connections by 2012.
See what the country's maturing online demographics and usage patterns mean for your business, download the new eMarketer report, Canada Internet: Users and Usage, today.