"The newly released ICT figures confirm once again that information and communication technologies remain the main driver of the information society," said ITU Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun I. Touré.

According to Mr. Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, "If we want to understand the information society, we have to measure it." "Without measurements, we cannot track progress or identify gaps that require our attention."

The number of fixed-line telephone subscriptions continues to decline

The results show that fixed-line telephone penetration has been declining over the last five years. By the end of 2014, there will be approximately 100 million fewer fixed-line telephone subscriptions than in 2009.

Nearly seven billion mobile phone subscriptions

By the end of 2014, there will be nearly 7 billion mobile phone subscriptions, 3.6 billion of which will be in the Asia-Pacific region. This increase is primarily due to growth in developing countries, which will account for 78 percent of total global mobile phone subscriptions.

Data shows that the mobile cellular growth rate has reached its lowest level in history (2.6% worldwide), indicating that the market is approaching saturation.

Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, where penetration will reach 69 percent and 89 percent, respectively, by the end of 2014, are the regions with the highest mobile cellular growth (and where the penetration rate is lowest). Penetration rates in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Arab States, the Americas, and Europe have reached levels above 100 percent, and growth is projected to be less than two percent in 2014. The region with the highest mobile cellular penetration rate is the CIS.

Growth in fixed broadband penetration is slowing in developing countries

By the end of 2014, fixed broadband penetration will have reached 10 percent globally.

Forty-four percent of all fixed broadband subscriptions are in Asia and the Pacific, and 25 percent are in Europe. In contrast, Africa accounts for less than 0.5 percent of the world's fixed broadband subscriptions, and despite double-digit growth over the past four years, penetration in Africa remains very low.

Africa, the Arab States, and the CIS are the only regions where the growth rate of fixed broadband penetration exceeds 10 percent. The Americas region stands out for having the lowest growth rate in fixed broadband penetration: approximately 2.5 percent, which will bring the penetration rate to 17 percent by the end of 2014. Fixed broadband penetration in Europe is much higher than in other regions and almost three times the global average.

2.3 billion mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide

By the end of 2014, mobile broadband penetration will reach 32 percent globally. In developed countries, mobile broadband penetration will reach 84 percent, four times that of developing countries (21 percent). The number of mobile broadband subscriptions will be 2.3 billion worldwide, of which 55 percent are expected to be concentrated in developing countries.

Mobile broadband penetration levels are highest in Europe (64%) and the Americas (59%), followed by the CIS (49%), the Arab States (25%), Asia-Pacific (23%) and Africa (19%).

Internet access in homes is nearing saturation in developed countries

By the end of 2014, 44 percent of households worldwide will have internet access. Nearly a third (31%) of households in developing countries will be connected to the internet, compared to 78 percent in developed countries. The analysis shows that internet access in homes is nearing saturation in developed countries.

More than one in two households in the CIS will be connected to the internet. In Africa, only one in ten households will have internet access. However, home internet access continues to increase in Africa at a rate of over 10 percent.

Three billion people will use the Internet

By the end of 2014, the number of internet users worldwide will have reached almost 3 billion. Two-thirds of the world's internet users are in developing countries. This corresponds to a global internet penetration rate of 40 percent, 78 percent in developed countries, and 32 percent in developing countries. More than 90 percent of people who still do not use the internet live in developing countries.

In Africa, almost 20 percent of the population will be online by the end of 2014, compared to just 10 percent in 2010.

In the Americas, nearly two out of every three people will be using the internet by the end of 2014, representing the second-highest penetration rate after Europe. In Europe, internet penetration will reach 75 percent (or three out of every four people) by the end of 2014, the highest in the world. One-third of the population of Asia and the Pacific will be online by the end of 2014, and nearly 45 percent of all internet users will come from this region.

ITU statistics

ITU statistics are generally recognized as the most reliable and impartial global data on the state of the global ICT industry. They are widely used worldwide by major intergovernmental organizations, financial institutions, and private sector analysts.

See ITU statistics at www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/statistics