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Report: 2.9 billion people worldwide still have no internet access
CGTN
CFP

CFP

About 38 percent of the global population, or 2.9 billion people, had no access to the internet by the end of 2021, according to the Global Development Report released by China on Monday.

And 96 percent of those without internet access were in developing countries, said the report released by the Center for International Knowledge on Development.

In 2020, 75.6 percent of the people living in urban areas, globally, were internet users, which was nearly twice the level in rural areas of 38.8 percent, according to the report.

In low- and middle-income countries, only 58 percent of the female were mobile internet users, which was 15 percent lower than the proportion in the male. The number of female mobile internet users was 234 million fewer than that of male users.

Despite the efforts from all walks of life to bridge the digital gap, multiple factors have been hindering the wider use of digital technology, such as the relatively high cost of internet access compared with the income level in some countries and regions, the inability to afford the cost of mobile terminals such as smartphones, as well as the lack of digital skills for some groups, the report said.

Read more: Wang Yi: China is committed to promoting global development

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