Google may be the most popular web destination in US and Canada, or may be even top in Europe. But it’s a step behind in Asia Pacific Region. Interenet Research firm comScore has released its first comprehensive review of Internet behavior covering 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and Google trails in all the list.According to the study, which accounts for one-third of internet population, Yahoo Sites are the region’s most popular.
Bob Ivins, executive vice president of comScore commented,
We all know that the Asia-Pacific region is large and that Internet usage is growing rapidly. What is fascinating about this study is that it allows us to compare Internet usage across countries using a consistent measurement methodology and to then determine where PC-based Internet engagement is most developed. We are looking forward to providing additional insight into the online dynamics of this important region in the future.
| Asia-Pacific Online Audience May 2007 All Asia-Pacific – Home and Work Locations, Age 15+ | |||
| Top 3 Web Sites Based on Monthly Unique Visitors | |||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Worldwide | Google Sites | Microsoft Sites | Yahoo! Sites |
| Asia-Pacific | Yahoo! Sites | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites |
| Australia | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites | Yahoo! Sites |
| China | Microsoft Sites | Baidu Sites | TENCENT |
| Hong Kong | Yahoo! Sites | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites |
| India | Yahoo! Sites | Google Sites | Microsoft Sites |
| Japan | Yahoo! Sites | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites |
| Malaysia | Yahoo! Sites | Google Sites | Microsoft Sites |
| New Zealand | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites | Fairfax Media |
| Singapore | Yahoo! Sites | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites |
| South Korea | NHN Corporation | Lycos Sites | Microsoft Sites |
| Taiwan | Yahoo! Sites | Microsoft Sites | Google Sites |
| Source: comScore World Metrix | |||
Some significant findings of the review
- South Korea boasts the greatest rate of Internet usage, with 65 percent of its population using the Internet in May (home and work locations, age 15 or older), followed by Australia (62 percent), New Zealand (60 percent) and Hong Kong (59 percent). India has the lowest penetration at just 3 percent.
- China clearly has the largest online population with 91.5 million people (age 15 or older accessing the Internet from either a home or a work computer in May 2007), but this translates to a penetration of only 9 percent of the country’s population. Japan has 53.7 million users (49 percent penetration) and South Korea 26.3 million (65 percent penetration). Combined, these 3 countries account for 60 percent of the region’s Internet population.
- South Korea has the most active online population, using the Internet an average of 17.4 days per person in May, and dedicating 31.2 hours to viewing 4,546 pages during the month – twice as many pages as the regional average of 2,171 pages per user.
- New Zealanders constitute the smallest online population in the region (1,949 million people) but are online 16.4 days per month, versus the regional average of 13.8 days.
