by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africans spent more time online than users from any other country in the world in 2022.
This is according to data presented by the Atlas VPN team, which reveals that South Africans spent an average of 578 minutes (9 hours and 38 minutes) online each day.
This is three hours more than the global average of average time spent browsing the internet in 2022, which was 397 minutes (6 hours and 37 minutes) per day.
According to the researchers South Africa is the most “internet-addicted” country globally.
Globally, for many, the internet is a vital source of information, with 57,8 percent reporting that they use it primarily for finding information.
Staying connected with loved ones is another significant reason for internet use, with 53,7 percent listing it as a core activity.
Additionally, half of all people (50,9 percent) turn to the internet to keep up with the latest news and events..
The data looks at internet usage trends worldwide among internet users aged 16 to 64.
The time spent online varies significantly from country to country.
Brazilians are a little behind South Africa, with 572 minutes (9 hours and 32 minutes) devoted to internet usage daily.
The Philippines ranked third with an average of 554 minutes (9 hours and 14 minutes) spent online per day, followed by Argentinians and Colombians, both with 541 minutes (9 hours and 1 minute) of daily internet usage.
People in the United States also spend an above-average amount of time online, dedicating 419 minutes (6 hours and 59 minutes) daily to internet browsing — the same as people living in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Canadians are slightly less generous with their time, spending an average of 395 minutes (6 hours and 35 minutes) online daily.
In contrast, East Asian countries have one of the lowest average daily internet usage, with Chinese people spending 325 minutes (5 hours and 25 minutes) online, followed by South Korea at 321 minutes (5 hours and 21 minutes), and Japan with only 225 minutes (3 hours and 45 minutes) — the least out of all the countries in the study.
The only exception is Taiwan, with an average daily internet usage time of 434 minutes (7 hours and 14 minutes).
Research indicates most European countries also spend significantly less time online than the global average. Austrians devote 322 minutes (5 hours and 22 minutes) daily to internet usage, while Germans spend 312 minutes (5 hours and 12 minutes).
People in Denmark dedicate the least amount of time to being online out of all European countries in the study, with an average of 298 minutes (4 hours and 58 minutes) spent on the internet each day.
– CAJ News