65% of SA over age of 16 now connected to internet

ALMOST two out of every three South Africans (65%) aged 16 or older are now connected to the internet, while four out of every 10 access the internet daily (42%).

The connection rate is slightly ahead of Nigeria (63%) and Kenya (53%).

This is according to new research released yesterday, which was commissioned by internet giant Google and conducted by Kantar TNS.

The 2017 Consumer Barometer consists of research conducted in 63 countries to gauge their internet access and usage.

South African data was collected via door-to-door interviews, of which 60% were done in urban and 40% in rural areas.

About 25 million South Africans access the internet for personal use, with six out of 10 (60%) of them below the age of 35 – higher than the global average of 34%. Most users go online to access social media‚ use search engines and watch online videos.

South African internet users are split in the middle between men and women.

The research found six out of every 10 South Africans used smartphones compared to 47% in 2014.

Just less than one in four (24%) South Africans used computers. Tablet usage was just more than one out of 10 (12%).

Just more than four in 10 South Africans use only a smartphone‚ computer or tablet, while 16% use two of these devices and 7% use all three.

Almost four out of five South Africans (79%) access the internet on their smartphone as often as on their computer.

About 2.5 million South Africans shop online, which Google said would continue to grow.