A study by Roper Starch Worldwide has found sharp rises in PC ownership and Internet use around the world.

A study by Roper Starch Worldwide has found sharp rises in PC ownership and Internet use around the world, but the divide between developed countries and developing countries is only modestly closing. Thirty percent of global consumers own a PC, up six percentage points since 1998, while nearly one in five (18 percent) went online in the past month, up seven points in the same period, according to "Roper Reports Worldwide Spring 2000" study. The survey, based on 30,000 face-to-face interviews with 1,000 consumers age 13 to 65 in each of 30 countries, is projectable to 1.39 billion people. The biggest regional jump in PC ownership occurred in developed Asia, where 55 percent of consumers have computers, up 12 points from 1998. In second place, half of North Americans (51 percent) own PCs, an eight-point gain over 1998. Third-place Latin America, where nearly three in 10 own PCs (29 percent), saw a seven point rise. Tied for fourth are Western Europe (39 percent) and developing Asia (17 percent), each up four points. Internet use is expanding at a pace similar to PCs. North Americans are more likely than people in other regions to have accessed the Internet in the past 30 days (41 percent), up 12 points since 1998. Next is developed Asia (32 percent), up 10 points, trailed by Western Europe (23 percent), up eight points; and Latin America (11 percent), Eastern Europe (11 percent), and developing Asia (10 percent), each up four points.