Can China now claim most Internet users?

China has captured the No. 1 ranking as the country with the greatest number of Internet users, according to a Reuters report.

The country clocked in with 221 million Internet users in February, surpassing the U.S. for the top billing, according to Reuters, which cites the Xinhua news agency's reporting of figures from the government-backed China Internet Network Information Center.

However, the Chinese government's figures do have some competition.

Market researcher ComScore told CNET News.com on Thursday that the U.S. maintains a slight lead over China, according to its March figures. The number of U.S. Internet users reached 188 million last month, verses 173 million in China, according to ComScore.

The discrepancy may be due to the length of time the two agencies track figures, a ComScore representative said. ComScore relies on data gathered on a monthly basis, while the China Internet Network Information Center collects data over a six-month period, the representative said.

And while the number of Internet users in China is high by any count, its penetration rate in relation to its population is still lower than the worldwide average. The percentage of Internet users in China is 16 percent of its population, compared with 19.1 percent on a global scale, Reuters said.

A substantial portion of Internet users in rural China rely on Internet cafes to access the Net, according to the China Internet Network Information Center.

[tech_crazy]

So?

I just can't get the issue or news they make out of this. With a population about 5X that of the US, even at 1/5th the penetration level should suffice. talk about making mountains out of mole-hills!

[jhawk95]

Not Real Internet Users

Do any of China's "internet users" really count if they cannot access the FULL INTERNET? Having access only to what the Communist Regime in power will allow is not really the same as users in most part of the world having full access.

And like the other caller said, the USA has more than 60% penetration rate for its population.

For China to "surpass" the USA they would need about 700,000,000 internet users.

Most of China barely has access to running water and rice. Only a small handful living in the few over-crowded, massively polluted cities China has even have access to the internet.