• July 24, 2007

Internet consultancy Jupiter Research predicts the worldwide online population will increase from 1.1 billion users in 2006 to 1.5 billion in 2011, representing 22% of the overall worldwide population in that year.

The study, "Worldwide Online Population Forecast, 2006 to 2011: Emerging Economies Catalyze Future Growth ," says Brazil, Russia, India, and China will be centers of growth of the online population, while North America will experience a slowing of Internet growth.

The U.S., Canada, Japan and Western Europe whose online populations are reaching "maturity," per Jupiter, will experience slower Internet growth versus the Asian/Pacific region through 2011.

The study says that while North America's share of the worldwide online population will erode, from 21% in 2006 to 17% in 2011, penetration within the North American population will be the highest, at 76% of the North American population by 2011.

Western Europe, according to the study, is expected to mirror that penetration rate. --Karl Greenberg