Global Report: U.S. 2nd In Social Networking & 3rd In Mobile Internet Usage

A new global survey from Pew Internet shows social and mobile information from around the globe.  While the U.S. is among the leaders of each category, Israel takes the top spot for both social networking and mobile internet usage (tied with Japan).  The study also shows that GDP correlates  with both social and mobile usage.  Here’s a look at some of the key facts and figures from the survey.

Mobile Internet Usage

An interesting element of the report shows the percentage of cell phone users who use the internet on their mobile phones.  The U.S. ranks third (43%) in Internet use behind Japan and Israel (both 47%).  The next closest countries are Britain (38%) and China (37%).

After the top 5 countries a significant drop-off occurs. No additional countries have even one-third of respondents who use the internet on their mobile.  India (10%) and Pakistan (6%) rounded out the bottom countries in mobile internet usage.

Global Texting

Texting is now a standard form of communication. Not only is texting prevalent in wealthy nations but also in developing countries. Across 21 countries a median of 75% of cell users say they text. The majority of users say they text “regularly” in 19 of the 21 countries polled. Surprisingly, texting is the most common among two of the Poorest countries: Indonesia & Kenya.

Social Networking Usage

Of the 21 countries polled, 15 countries have at least 25% of respondents use of social networking. Israel leads the way globally with 53% of those polled using social networking. The U.S. is the only other country with at least 50% usage, coming in a close second with 50% of respondents using social networking.

Interestingly, Japan, Germany and France were the only countries where more respondents stated that they do not use social networking sites than they do.

Social Networking & GDP

Not surprisingly, the GDP of a country correlates with social networking usage. The two countries with the lowest GDP (Pakistan and India) showed the lowest social networking usage while the country with the highest GDP (U.S.) was among the top 2 in social usage.

For more information view the full report from Pew Internet.