The number of netizens worldwide over the age of 15 has reached 694 million, making up 14 percent of the total population in this age group, according to a survey report by comScore Network.

The report claimed to be the first global estimate of Internet audience size and behavior based on surveys conducted in major markets including China and India.

About two thirds of the global Internet users were Americans some 10 years ago, but now they account for less than a quarter, said Peter Daboll, president and CEO of comScore Media Metrix.

In terms of online population, the US still has the largest Internet audience of 152 million, followed by China with 72 million, Japan with 52 million, Germany with 32 million, Britain with 30 million, South Korea with 24.6 million, France with 23.9 million, Canada with 19 million, Italy with 16.8 million, India with 16.7 million, Brazil with 13.2 million, Spain with 12.5 million, Netherlands with 11 million, Russia with 10.8 million and Australia with 9.7 million.

However, the figures are not so close with official statistics. Take China for instance, official statistics show China has about 100 million Internet users, but the report excluded netizens under the age of 15 and those from Internet cafes.

The report also released the top 15 countries ranked by average hours spent online per visitor. Israel headed the list, with the users spending 57.5 hours online on average each month, followed by Finland, South Korea, Netherlands and Taiwan. The US does not even make within the top 15 countries list.

In addition, among the top websites, Microsoft's MSN led the list with global users amounting to 538.6 million, followed by Google with 495.8 million users and Yahoo with 480.2 million users.

By People's Daily Online