China surpassing U.S. in Internet users

During the month of January ’08, China was just five million users shy of surpassing the United States as the world’s largest Internet market.

At the time, China’s total number of Internet users reached 210 million or up 53% at the end of 2007 from 137 million at the end of 2006 and 162 million in June 2007. China Internet Network Information Center data showed that by December last year, there were 163 million broadband users and 50.4 million wireless users in China.

Based on CNNIC’s (China Internet Network Information Center) previous statistics, China saw an increase of 25 million Internet users in the first half of 2007 and 48 million new Internet users in the second half of the year. Meaning, that there were about 200 new Internet users every minute in the second half of 2007.

As of today, based on newly released statistics by the Chinese Government – China has surpassed the United States as the No. 1 nation with the most internet users.

The longtime Internet leader, the USA, which founded and developed the network of computers, had 216 million users at the end of 2007 while the number Chinese users on the Internet hit more than 220 million as of February – according to the Beijing-based research group BDA China.

BDA’s chairman, Duncan Clark stated – that “the rapid growth is powered in part by China’s economic boom, USA Today says. While the government “continues to filter the Net and encourage self-censorship, it also has a mandate to promote cheaper technology and the knowledge economy.” By the end of March, Chinese users climbed to 233 million.

The percentage of American users — 71% — still exceeds China’s 17%. China has 1.3 billion people, compared with nearly 304 million in the USA.

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