43% Of India¡¯s Poor & Illiterate Will Be Using The Internet By 2030 As Part Of The Next Billion

In 2019, India is expected to continue steadily coming online, as the recent trend has shown. However, one might wonder why that isn't happening faster, given how data prices dropped with Jio's entry a while ago. The reason for that it seems isn't because it's confusing.

According to a new report by travel e-commerce firm Booking Holdings, the reason main barrier for Indians to get online isn't one of technical ignorance. It's just most of us apparently aren't too comfortable with English, the dominant language on the Internet.

Also Read: Smartphone Penetration In India Is On The Rise, Set To Reach 37.3 Crore Users In 2019

According to the study, 76 percent of people surveyed across China, India, and Indonesia believed the pervasion of English online is what's holding back people in rural areas from participating. Of course, about as many people also cited a lack of affordable Internet services and capable devices as obstacles.

And yet, though these factors hold them back, more people are still coming online at a steady rate. In 2018, 112 million people across Asia came online for the first time, and another 365 million will join them in 2019.

Also Read: India Shut Down Internet Services 96 Times In 2018, More Than Any Other Country In The World

Specifically India though, we've seen positive jumps in Internet usage numbers. Last year the number of Indians with a smartphone jumped to 16 percent, the fastest growth rate in the world, with an estimated 87 percent have mobile connections.

There's a silver lining here too. Even as those data usage numbers go up, the company estimates the "Next Billion" people will come online by 2030. In India, the report says about 31 percent of people not online don't know how to use the Internet at all, and over 13 percent have no access to it.

However, the next billion online are 46 percent likely to be poor and 43 percent likely to be illiterate. And if there was ever a group that needed the help the Internet can offer, it's them. And once they figure it out, how they use the Internet will be similar to how you do. Most would flock to social media, and news, take advantage of cheaper voice and video calls, and a few will also shop and look for jobs online.