COmpetition: Internet USAGE (DATACAMP)

Analyzing global internet patterns

Github link: https://github.com/swapnasrita/Internet-usage-data-analysis.git

Datacamp link: https://www.datacamp.com/datalab/w/b703c94f-add8-46bf-94cd-de076619d2d4/edit

📖 Background

We explore a dataset that highlights internet usage for different countries from 2000 to 2023. By conducting a thorough analysis, we dive deeper into how internet usage has changed over time and the countries still widely impacted by lack of internet availability. Apart from the internet usage, I also look at world population and GDP data from World In Data.

💾 Data

Interet Usage (internet_usage.csv)

Contains the % of population of individuals using the internet in the year 2000- 2023

Steps performed before data analysis

I used Power BI to perform all the steps of data analysis.

1. Cleaning the data: Replacing non-numeric value (e.g. '..') by null.

2. Determining type of data: Ensuring that all the internet usage data was identified as numeric.

3. Merging the data based on the key 'Country Code' to add world population and GDP in 2022 to the internet usage data. Using 'Country Code' helped ensure that we were not losing important data based on 'Country Names'. There can be debates about how the country is named or if the country has been renamed. So, country code was helpful in maintaining the connection.

Data Analysis

Early vs Late adopters

1. Find first year when adoption reached a threshold: I chose the threshold to be 20%. Any internet usage below 20% is low penetration and any usage higher than 90% is high penetration. So, I filtered the internet usage column to be above 20%. Then refiltered for each country to pick the minimum year. 

= Table.Group(#"Filtered Rows1", {"Country Name"}, {{"First Adoption Year", each List.Min([Year]), type nullable number}})

Adding Rank to the Countries

2. Ranking the countries according to adoption year helped sort out the countries later according to continent. 

= Table.AddIndexColumn(#"Sorted Rows", "Index", 1, 1, Int64.Type)

Penetration per Continent

3. Combining Step 1 and 2, we can plot the first adoption years for each country in a particular continent, giving us an overall view of which continent was an early adopter and which continents lagged.

Global Internet Usage

4. Taking average of internet usage through the years help us look at the exponential growth in internet usage globally.

YOY change

5. Create two measures: Previous year usage and this year usage.

Copy

YoY_Change = 

VAR PrevYearUsage = 

    CALCULATE(

        SUM(internet_usage[Internet Usage]),

        internet_usage[Year] = MAX(internet_usage[Year]) - 1,

        ALLEXCEPT(internet_usage, internet_usage[Country Name])

    )

VAR CurrentYearUsage = 

    SUM(internet_usage[Internet Usage])

RETURN 

    IF(

        NOT(ISBLANK(PrevYearUsage)), 

        (CurrentYearUsage - PrevYearUsage) / PrevYearUsage * 100, 

        BLANK()

    )

This helps us look at the adoption in the early years vs now.

Factors influencing internet usage

(This might be my favorite part) I wondered if GDP and population might be reasons why internet usage was low in certain countries. 6. Plotting population versus internet usage and GDP versus internet usage gives us an idea on how correlated these factors are.

Suggestions by Author

1. Governments and global organizations should focus on targeted investments in underdeveloped regions, particularly in rural areas, to bridge the digital divide.

2. Tech companies should shift focus to emerging markets where adoption potential is still high, offering affordable solutions like low-cost mobile data and public Wi-Fi.

3. Countries with lower GDPs can adopt innovative models like public-private partnerships and international funding to prioritize digital infrastructure, accelerating adoption.

4. Focus on inclusive policies like free or subsidized internet access for underserved populations, particularly in regions with high population densities but low penetration rates.

🧾 Executive summary

• GDP significantly influences internet adoption. High-GDP countries invest more in digital infrastructure and accessibility, leading to higher penetration rates. In contrast, low-GDP nations struggle with affordability and infrastructure challenges, slowing adoption rates.

• Fluctuations in YoY growth were notable during earlier periods, particularly before 2010, indicating phases of rapid adoption.

• After 2015, YoY changes stabilized across most regions, likely due to market saturation in developed nations and steady growth in emerging markets.

• All countries shows a clear trajectory of steady internet adoption.

📷 Visual/Dashboard screenshot

In this visual we see countries like Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, and the United States adopted the internet as early as 2000, indicating advanced infrastructure and higher GDP at the time. Countries like Curacao, Haiti, and Nicaragua reached adoption milestones much later, in 2016, reflecting slower economic growth or infrastructure challenges.

Even in 2022, some countries in Asia and Africa have very internet connectivity. Oceania (Australia, New Zealand etc.) was the first continent where all countries adopted internet by 2010. Internet is strictly prohibited in the reclusive country of North Korea. 

The current global internet penetration rate stands at 71.29%, indicating that approximately 5.7 billion people out of a total 8 billion population have access to the internet. This widespread connectivity is closely tied to the global average GDP per capita of 20,590 USD, reflecting the correlation between economic growth and technological accessibility. 

YoY Changes (Top Chart):

Significant fluctuations in internet adoption are observed, especially in earlier years (e.g., around 2005), indicating periods of rapid growth. More stability is seen after 2015, reflecting market saturation or steady growth across the region. Cumulative Internet Usage (Bottom Chart):

Countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Chile demonstrate faster adoption rates, reaching higher penetration levels sooner. Smaller or less developed nations like Guyana and Suriname show slower progress.

Similar plots can be made for other continents as well.

It is evident that GDP plays a significant role in shaping internet usage patterns. Countries with higher GDP levels often have better infrastructure, more resources to invest in technology, and increased affordability for their citizens to access the internet. This translates to higher internet penetration rates, especially in urban areas, where the population has more disposable income to adopt newer technologies.

Moreover, the correlation between GDP and internet usage can be seen in the allocation of funds toward digital infrastructure and education. High-GDP nations often prioritize initiatives that promote connectivity, such as subsidizing broadband costs, supporting public internet access points, and integrating technology into public services like education and healthcare. These efforts directly boost the rate at which the population gains access to the internet.

On the other hand, countries with lower GDP levels face challenges like inadequate infrastructure, limited technological investments, and high costs associated with internet access. These challenges lead to slower adoption rates and wider gaps in internet penetration between urban and rural areas.

However, it's worth noting that some countries with lower GDP levels are showing rapid growth in internet adoption due to targeted initiatives, international aid, and innovative solutions like low-cost mobile data services. This highlights that while GDP has a clear impact on internet usage, it is not the sole determining factor, as government policies, technological innovation, and social factors also contribute significantly.

Population size appears to have little direct influence on internet usage rates. While larger populations may result in higher absolute numbers of users, this does not translate to higher penetration rates. Instead, factors like GDP, infrastructure, and government initiatives play a more significant role in driving adoption. Smaller nations with robust economies and advanced infrastructure often have higher internet penetration than populous countries with limited resources, highlighting that internet access is more about affordability and infrastructure than sheer population size.