Asian countries are responsible for a growing proportion of the worldÆs internet users, according to an international ranking by Computer Industry Almanac. It predicts there will be 259 million internet users internationally by the end of 1999, 43% of them in the US.
In second place, with 18.2 million is Japan, while Australia with 6.8 million users is in sixth place behind Britain, Canada and Germany. China, with 6.3 million is in eighth spot with South Korea at 5.7 million in 10th and Taiwan with 4.8 million users in 11th spot. Thanks in large part to new Asian users the US share of the total is expected to fall to 33% in 2002 and 27% by 2005, the Almanac says.
However the regionÆs highest penetration per head of population is not in the countries which make the list, but in Singapore and New Zealand which each have less than 3.5 million residents. A new survey by AC Nielsen eRatings.com shows the two countries each have 32% of their populations hooked up to the internet.
