The number of web users in India will double to 730m by 2020 compared to 350m at the end of 2015, driven by rural take-up, according to new data.
The figures, from ‘The Future of Internet in India’ report by Nasscom and Akamai Technologies, means India’s Internet user base is second largest after China.
Globally, the number of internet users is expected to touch 4,170 million by 2020.
India will remain the fastest growing market in the world, and the growth will outstrip the US.
The report said that 75 per cent of new Internet users in India will come from rural areas. An overwhelming majority (75 per cent) of new users will consume data in local languages, it said.
“India’s Internet consumption has already exceeded the US to become number two globally…By 2020, the Internet is expected to penetrate deeper in hinterlands of the country, helping create more opportunities for everyone,” Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar said.