Driven by the growing use of Indic languages for digital content, the internet user base in India is set to surpass 900 million by 2025, driven by the growing use of Indic languages for digital content, a report showed on Thursday.
The number of active internet users in India reached 886 million in 2024, growing at a robust 8 per cent year-on-year. Rural India leads this growth with 488 million users, now accounting for 55 per cent of the total internet population, according to the report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar.
Nearly all internet users (98 per cent) accessed content in Indic languages, with Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam emerging as the most popular due to their extensive availability.
Over half (57 per cent) of urban internet users prefer consuming content in regional languages, underscoring the growing demand for local language content across platforms, according to the report.
AI has emerged as a significant game changer over the past year. Nine out of 10 internet users have interacted with apps featuring embedded AI capabilities.
"The widespread acceptance and enthusiasm surrounding AI should encourage digital companies to introduce more next-generation AI features in India," Biswapriya Bhattacharya, Director, B2B and Technology, Kantar Insights–South Asia, said.
The digital gender gap in India is steadily narrowing, with 47 per cent of all internet users in the country being women — so far the highest.
Female internet users now form a significant portion of shared device users in rural India at 58 per cent. This marks substantial progress in making digital access more inclusive and equitable over the years, the report noted.
Rural India accounts for the most online engagement in leading activities, including OTT video and music streaming, online communication, and social media usage, and leads over urban users in these categories.
Urban India is leading in non-traditional devices such as smart TVs and smart speakers, which have grown 54 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
According to the report, mobile devices continue to be the main source through which people access the Internet, across both urban and rural bases.
Read also| Biden Administration Introduces Stricter Controls on AI Chip Exports
Read also| Apple Achieves Rs 1 Lakh Crore in iPhone Exports from India in 2024: Industry Report