WebProNews

The number of people online globally is set to grow more than 45 percent to 2.2 billion users over the next five years, according to a new report from Forrester Research.

Asia will account for 43 percent of the world's online population by 2013, with 17 percent residing in China.

Growth rates in the U.S., Western Europe, and nations in Asia Pacific such as Australia, Japan, and South Korea will slow to between 1 percent and 3 percent.

Zia Daniell Wigder

Online reach in the U.S. is set to increase from 73 percent to 82 percent over the next five years, representing a 3 percent annual growth rate. By 2013, U.S. online penetration will be par with the most highly penetrated markets of Europe and Asia, including the Netherlands, the U.K., Japan, and South Korea.

Europe's Internet growth will be driven by the continent's emerging markets. Internet usage in Russia and Turkey will grow by almost 8 percent annually, while growth in Spain's online population will increase by an average of more than 5 percent each year.

China's online population, currently the largest in the world, will increase by nearly 11 percent each year until 2013. Asian countries with significant online growth rates include India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

Brazil currently has the fourth largest numbers of Internet users in the world, but despite a 7 percent annual growth rate over the next five years, it will drop to fifth in 2010 when it is surpassed by India.

Countries in the Middle East and Africa account for 8 percent of the global online population and over the next five years will see some of the highest growth rates of around 13 percent. Egypt, Iran, and Nigeria are among the countries with the highest growth rates in the region.

"While per capita online spending is likely to remain highest in North America, Western Europe, and the developed markets of Asia throughout the next five years, the shifting online population and growing spending power among Asian consumers means that Asian markets will represent a far greater percentage of the total in 2013 than they do today," said Forrester Research Senior Analyst Zia Daniell Wigder.

"Multinational organizations must understand the dynamics of the shifting global online population to ensure that they are positioned to take advantage of emerging international opportunities."

Countries With The Most Internet Users: 2008

1. US

2. China

3. Japan

4. Brazil

5. Germany

Countries With The Most Internet Users: 2013

1. China

2. US

3. India

4. Japan

5. Brazil