India's Internet Growth Surge: 900 Million Users Expected by 2025
India is set to surpass 900 million internet users by 2025, with 886 million active users in 2024. The digital landscape is evolving, with increased internet usage across entertainment, communication, and regional language content, despite barriers like limited infrastructure and digital literacy.
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The Internet in India 2024 report by IAMAI and Kantar projects that by 2025, there will be more than 900 million internet users in India. With 886 million active users as of 2024, the nation's digital landscape is rapidly changing, mostly due to adoption in rural areas. With adoption rates twice as rapid, rural users now outnumber urban users by 90 million. Although women and young people under the age of 19 make major contributions, 51% of the nation's non-internet users still live in rural areas, highlighting the need for better infrastructure and digital awareness.
Indians use the internet for communication, social media, and entertainment on average for 90 minutes every day. With 57% preferring local languages like Tamil and Telugu and 98% accessing the internet in Indian languages, regional languages predominate in the digital world. With 140 million users, voice commands are also becoming more and more common for things like news updates and navigation.
Various patterns can be seen in digital trade. Cash-on-delivery is still the most popular payment option, particularly in rural regions, while social media-driven transactions have decreased as internet shopping increases. Smart gadgets are becoming more popular, and 286 million "cord-cutters" prefer digital platforms over traditional television.
Due in major part to a lack of knowledge, devices, and local-language content, 630 million Indians are still offline. There are still regional differences. Urban regions are now at the leading edge of the growing deployment of AI tools. For a digital India to be truly inclusive, these gaps must be closed.
Source : businessworld.in
