--- description: The biggest strides in connectivity have been happening in Africa. title: United Nations: 40% Online by End of 2014 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Tech](/tag/time-section-tech/) ## Tech Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.N. Report: 40% of the World Will Be Online by the End of 2014 by [Techlicious](/author/techlicious/) ## Techlicious Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 8, 2014 8:00 PM CUT by [Techlicious](/author/techlicious/) ## Techlicious Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 8, 2014 8:00 PM CUT An estimated 3 billion people – or 40% of the world population – will have access to the Internet by the end of 2014, a United Nations International Telecommunications Union [report reveals](http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47729#.U2rXCl4869Z "undefined"). According to the U.N. data, Europe has the highest rate of Internet proliferation at 75 percent, while only two-thirds of those living in the Americas have Internet access. The report does not specify the percentage of U.S. households that have Internet, though a 2012 report by the U.S. Census [puts the rate at 74.8%](http://www.census.gov/hhes/computer/publications/2012.html "undefined"). The biggest strides in connectivity have been happening in Africa. In 2010, only 2% of Africa was connected to the Internet. That number is expected to reach 20% by the end of the year. Much of that growth is owed to mobile devices, [which have become critical communication tools on the continent](http://www.techlicious.com/blog/ugandan-cell-phones-used-to-insure-clean-water/ "undefined"). The U.N. study also reveals that world mobile broadband penetration has reached 32%, with nearly 2.3 billion subscriptions globally. For more on the U.N. report, [visit the UN News Centre](http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47729#.U2rXCl4869Z "undefined"). _This article was written by Fox Van Allen and_ [_originally appeared on Techlicious_](http://www.techlicious.com/blog/united-nations-internation-telecommunications-union-internet-report/ "undefined")_._ **More from Techlicious:** * [‘Super Vision’ App Gives Parents Remote Control of PBSKids.org](http://www.techlicious.com/blog/pbs-kids-super-vision-app/ "undefined") * [D-Link Unveils a Wi-Fi Smart Plug for Home Automation](http://www.techlicious.com/blog/dlink-wifi-smart-plug-energy-monitor-thermal-protection/ "undefined") * [Review of the Kwikset Kevo powered by UniKey](http://www.techlicious.com/review/review-unikey-kevo-kwikset-deadbolt-lock/ "undefined") * [The Best Bike Accessories for City Cyclists](http://www.techlicious.com/guide/best-bike-accessories-for-city-cyclists/ "undefined") * [‘Google Now’ for Android Gets Nearby Shopping Alert Cards](http://www.techlicious.com/blog/google-now-nearby-shopping-alerts/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/92969/u-n-report-40-of-the-world-will-be-online-by-the-end-of-2014/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/92969/u-n-report-40-of-the-world-will-be-online-by-the-end-of-2014/"},"headline":"U.N. Report: 40% of the World Will Be Online by the End of 2014","datePublished":"2014-05-08T20:00:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:02:11.707Z","description":"The biggest strides in connectivity have been happening in Africa.","url":"https://time.com/92969/u-n-report-40-of-the-world-will-be-online-by-the-end-of-2014/","keywords":["Tech","Africa","Innovation","United Nations","U.N.","Internet Access"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Techlicious","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/techlicious/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-tech/","name":"Tech"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/92969/u-n-report-40-of-the-world-will-be-online-by-the-end-of-2014/","name":"U.N. Report: 40% of the World Will Be Online by the End of 2014"}}]}] ```