According to a report by the US-based Pew Research Center, nine out of ten South Koreans own a smartphone, indicating the highest level of smartphone usage in the world. The study revealed that a staggering 95 percent of the population in South Korea has a smartphone, while the remaining 5 percent of the nation uses a mobile phone without access to the Internet.
More than 30,133 people in 27 countries took part in the survey conducted last year. It transpired that three out of four adults used smartphones in 18 developed countries. According to the survey, Israel came in second with 88 percent, followed by the Netherlands with 87 percent, and Sweden with 86 percent.
Australia, the U.S., Spain, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Argentina, Japan and Canada followed, with the ownership of smartphones ranging from 81 percent in the U.S. to 66 percent in Canada. Among the advanced economies, Hungary, Poland, Russia and Greece have the lowest penetration, with 64 percent owning a smartphone in Hungary, through to 59 percent in Russia and Greece.
The study also revealed that in all these countries, smartphone use was higher among younger people, and also those with higher levels of education and higher income. “Younger people in every country surveyed are much more likely to have smartphones, access the internet and use social media,” commented researchers Kyle Taylor and Laura Silver.
“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.”
The situation is very diverse in the nine emerging economies surveyed, with smartphone penetration ranging from 60 percent in South Africa to 24 percent in India.
China, which is believed to be the largest smartphone market, was not included in the latest research.
