Emerging economies catching up in smartphone adoption: Survey

Smartphone use has become the norm in most developed nations while many emerging economies are showing sharp gains, a global survey showed Tuesday.

The Pew Research Center report found strong majorities of adults using smartphones in the world's wealthier countries, led by 95 per cent adoption in South Korea and 88 per cent in Israel.

In 18 developed countries surveyed, three out of four adults were using smartphones based on the 2018 survey.

Another 17 per cent used another kind of mobile phone and only six per cent used none.

The picture was mixed in the nine emerging economies surveyed, with smartphone adoption ranging from 60 per cent in South Africa to 24 per cent in India.

Taken together, an estimated 45 per cent of adults used smartphones in the emerging economies and one-third used other mobile phones.

In all the countries, smartphone use was higher among younger people, those with higher levels of education and those with higher incomes, Pew found.

"Younger people in every country surveyed are much more likely to have smartphones, access the internet and use social media," researchers Kyle Taylor and Laura Silver wrote.

"In all of the advanced economies surveyed, large majorities under the age of 35 own a smartphone. In contrast, smartphone ownership among advanced economies' older populations varies widely, ranging from just about a quarter of Russians 50 and older to about nine-in-10 older South Koreans."