Children between the age of 5 and 11 years account for nearly 15 per cent of India’s active Internet users. According to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), 66 million Internet users in the country are in the age bracket of 5 to 11 years. They access the Internet on the devices of family members.

India had 451 million monthly active Internet users as of March 31, 2019, second only to China in terms of number of users. However, with only 36 per cent Internet penetration, there is much headroom for growth.

The report finds that in terms of absolute numbers, urban India with 192 million users has almost the same number of users as rural India. However, in terms of percentages or penetration, given the disparity of population distribution in urban and rural India, urban India has a considerably higher penetration level.

Among the cites, Mumbai and Delhi top the list with 11.7 million and 11.2 million Internet users respectively. Bengaluru and Kolkata with 6.1 million users are placed third, followed by Chennai with 5.4 million Internet users.

The report also finds that 72 per cent of urban Internet users or approximately 139 million use Internet daily. On the other hand, approximately 109 million or 57 per cent of rural Internet users access the Internet daily.

Nearly one-third of the users access the Internet for ‘more than one hour’ in urban India, whereas in rural India, a similar proportion of users access the Internet for 15-30 minutes.

The report also indicates that there is a clear gender disparity when it comes to Internet usage. There are fewer female Internet users in India as compared to male users. The female Internet users’ population is half the 258 million male Internet users, and the bias is more evident in rural India.

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