Half of Internet users in India share almost everything they see on the web

The Meeker Internet Trends Report has thrown up some interesting insights on how Indians use the web. The report, which is released every year by Mary Meeker, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, goes into great detail about the changes we have seen over the years in internet usage patterns.

The 117-slide report talks about the changes heralded by the advent of social networking and how it has affected the way users share information over the Internet. With over 50 percent of Internet users in the country sharing "everything" or "most things" they see on the web, India is second on the list. In comparison, the global average for that scenario is 24 percent. Surprisingly, the tightly-regulated Internet in Saudi Arabia has not dissuaded users from sharing most of what they see on the net. Users in Saudi Arabia, the report finds, share the most with over 60 percent of the users doing so.

India loves to share, but not as much as Saudi Arabia

Other parts of the report talk about the growth of the Internet. India added 88 million new Internet users between 2008 and 2012. It currently has 137 million users, which means it ranks third in the number of total Internet users, following China and USA. Year-on-year growth in terms of Internet users in India is 26 percent. The number of Internet users in China is a massive 564 million, while the US has 244 million users. The report says a total of 2.4 billion people worldwide are accessing the Internet as of 2012, with just 1 billion not originating from the top 15 connected countries.

Internet penetration in India is woeful

Despite the healthy growth rate in the number of users, India still lags behind in terms of Internet penetration. With just 11 percent of the country connected to the Internet, India has the worst figure among the Top 15 connected countries. The number is certain to increase in the coming years thanks to projects like BBNL and creation of better mobile network infrastructure. Reliance Communication is said to be preparing a pan-India December launch for its 4G services. Videocon is also aiming for a year-end launch in six circles, while Airtel has already introduced the high-speed network in select circles.