Internet usage grows faster in rural India; knowhow still a deterrent

346 million make online transactions for e-commerce and digital payments, with coronavirus boosting practice

The number of internet users in rural India increased 18 percent last year, faster than growth in urban areas and continuing a trend that started two years ago.

Internet users in urban India increased 5 percent in 2021. Rural India has 351 million users, or 37 percent of people there, according to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and data analytics company KANTAR. Around 762 million Indians have not adopted the internet yet--out of which 63 per cent live in rural areas.

‘Difficulty to understand the Internet’, is the primary deterrent along with lack of