While some developed nations are racing ahead in information measurement and tracking many factors including infrastructure, access and usage. Many developing nations are struggling to produce even basic indicators. “The number of Internet users in most developing countries is usually based on government guesstimates or vague estimates”, says Vanessa Gray, ITU Telecom Analyst.
When developing nations do conduct surveys, they are finding the number of Internet users has often been vastly underestimated. This is confirmed by recent Internet user surveys emerging from Latin America and the Caribbean. In Jamaica, for example, an Internet user survey pointed to 23 per cent of the population using the Internet, while the penetration rate before the survey was estimated at only five per cent. A similar phenomenon occurred in Peru, with a survey finding twice as many Internet users in the Capital (Lima) alone than had been previously estimated for the entire country. In Mexico, a recent Internet survey also found twice as many users than earlier estimates. These findings suggest that the digital divide may not be as wide in some places as earlier assumed.
While there are few Internet surveys for developing nations, richer nations are over-surveyed with often conflicting results. At least six Internet user surveys have been conducted in Spain, for example, producing figures ranging from over 50 to less than 20 per cent of the population being online. Internet penetration levels compiled by national statistical offices in Europe are, on average, thirteen per cent below those published by market research organizations.