A few days ago I came across a couple of stats on the “State of Mobile and the Internet” by the International Telecommunication Union) — makes for interesting reading:
- Mobile subscriptions: 6.8 billion versus 7.1 billion people worldwide — more than 1/2 in Asia Pacific (3.5 billion)
- Mobile penetration: 96% globally — 128% in developed countries, 89% in developing countries
- People online: 2.7 billion — almost 40% of the world’s population
- Households Online: 750 million or 41% globally (78% in developed countries, 28% in developing)
- Population Online by Country Status: 31% in developing countries, 77% in developed countries
- Regional Internet penetration: Europe highest at 75%, Africa lowest at 15% (only half that of Asia Pacific)
- Mobile Broadband Subscription Penetration: Europe (68%), Americas (48%), CIS (46%), Asia Pacific (22%), Arab States (19%), Africa (11%)
The tl;dr: Nearly every person on the planet has a mobile phone. Soon half of the planet will be online. The real growth opportunities are in the 2nd and 3rd world.
As William Gibson observed: “The future is already here — it’s just not very evenly distributed.”
Distribution will shift and create massive opportunities in its wake. If I were to start a business today I would know where to go…