These Countries Have the Least Access to Internet

 

by Natalie Morin

Sometimes, it feels as if technology has become so embedded in people’s lives that
they barely notice it. If your memory fails you, a quick Google search will do the 
#remembering for you; your phone is your compass; Your computer let’s you talk 
face to face with those an ocean away.

The Internet has arguably had the biggest impact of all modern inventions. But 
though many can access it with the touch of a button, for others it is a luxury that
 few can afford. Using data from the Internet Live Stats, SoftwareInsider visualized 
the percentage of Internet users by country, or Internet penetration, as of 2014.

Unsurprisingly, overall Internet use is most common in Western Europe, North America 
and Oceania. Countries such as Canada, Norway and the Netherlands have high percentages
of Internet users. But leading the charge are the small countries of Bermuda (97.75%),
Qatar (96.65%) and Bahrain (96.53%).

Though East Asian countries for the most part don’t see relatively high rates of Internet
penetration, Japan and South Korea stand out as Internet hot spots—South Korea, 
especially, with 91.52% of its population on the Web.

In terms of the sheer number of users, China and the United States take first and second 
place with over 641 million and 279 million, respectively. Internet users have grown 4% 
in China from the previous year and 7% in the United States.

Which top 10 countries have the lowest Internet penetration?

Cambodia #22
Population: 15,408,270
Internet penetration: 5.38%
1-year user growth: 10%

Lesotho #21
Population: 2,097,511
Internet penetration: 5.25%
1-year user growth: 14%

Maldives #20
Population: 351,572
Internet penetration: 4.73%
1-year user growth: 10%

Togo #19
Population: 6,993,244
Internet penetration: 4.57%
1-year user growth: 16%

Liberia #18
Population: 4,396,873
Internet penetration: 4.34%
1-year user growth: 16%

Benin #17
Population:10,599,510
Internet penetration: 4.34%
1-year user growth: 16%

Burkina Faso #16
Population: 17,419,615
Internet penetration: 4.26%
1-year user growth: 16%

Guinea-Bissau #15
Population: 1,745,798
Internet penetration: 3.31%
1-year user growth: 16%

Côte D'Ivoire #14
Population: 20,804,774
Internet penetration: 2.72%
1-year user growth: 16%

Papua New Guinea #13
Population: 7,476,108
Internet penetration: 2.51%
1-year user growth: 10%

Chad #12
Population: 13,211,146
Internet penetration: 2.4%
1-year user growth: 16

Marshall Islands #11
Population: 52,772
Internet penetration: 2.36%
1-year user growth: 8%

Congo #10
Population: 4,558,594
Internet penetration: 1.92%
1-year user growth: 16%

Guinea #9
Population: 12,043,898
Internet penetration: 1.7%
1-year user growth: 0.16%

Ethiopia #8
Population: 96,506,031
Internet penetration: 1.7%
1-year user growth: 16%

Niger #7
Population: 18,534,802
Internet penetration: 1.61%
1-year user growth: 17%

Somalia #6
Population: 10,805,651
Internet penetration: 1.51%
1-year user growth: 12%

Sierra Leone #5
Population: 6,205,382
Internet penetration: 1.49%
1-year user growth: 12%

Burundi #4
Population: 10,482,752
Internet penetration: 1.39%
1-year user growth: 17%

Myanmar #3
Population: 53,718,958
Internet penetration: 1.16%
1-year user growth: 9%

Timor-Leste #2
Population: 1,152,439
Internet penetration: 1%
1-year user growth: 1%

Eritrea #1
Population: 6,536,176
Internet penetration: 0.91%
1-year user growth: 17%