Number of Computers on the Internet
The data for this section is derived from the results of a survey undertaken by Network Wizards, and is available on that company's web server at <www.nw.com>.
The number of computers ("hosts") on the Internet is often regarded as a measure of the number of people with access to the Internet. To be counted as host, a computer must have its own Internet address, and be permanently and directly connected to the Internet. Home or small business computers which connect by dialing up to a service provider are not counted. Consequently it is reasonable to assume that there are more users than hosts, possibly by a factor of two or more. To stress this point: the information in this paper refers to the number of computers permanently wired into the Internet in New Zealand, it does not purport to describe directly the number of individuals using the Internet.
The graph below shows the growth of the New Zealand Internet and the total Internet over the last four years.
Growth In Internet Hosts - New Zealand and the World July 1991 to July 1995
| The raw data for this table was obtained from Network Wizards and is available through their web site at www.nw.com. |
| Date | nz | 12 month growth | world | 12 month growth | nz hosts per 000 |
|---|
| Jul-91 | 1,193 | | 535,000 | | 2.23 |
| Oct-91 | 1,318 | | 617,000 | | 2.14 |
| Jul-92 | 1,831 | 53% | 992,000 | 85% | 1.85 |
| Oct-92 | 1,986 | 51% | 1,136,000 | 84% | 1.75 |
| Jan-93 | 2,053 | | 1,313,000 | | 1.56 |
| Jul-93 | 3,165 | 73% | 1,776,000 | 79% | 1.78 |
| Oct-93 | 4,342 | 119% | 2,056,000 | 81% | 2.11 |
| Jan-94 | 5,773 | 181% | 2,217,000 | 69% | 2.60 |
| Jul-94 | 14,380 | 354% | 3,212,000 | 81% | 4.48 |
| Oct-94 | 20,578 | 374% | 3,864,000 | 88% | 5.33 |
| Jan-95 | 31,215 | 441% | 4,852,000 | 119% | 6.43 |
| Jul-95 | 43,863 | 205% | 6,642,000 | 107% | 6.60 |
The straight lines on a logarithmic graph tell the same story as the exponential curve usually seen on graphs of Internet growth.
Interestingly New Zealand's Internet grew much faster than the world's during 1994. This is shown more clearly by the following graph of Internet host count growth.
Growth in Internet Host Numbers in Preceding 12 Months
| The raw data for this table was obtained from Network Wizards and is available through their web site at www.nw.com. |
| Date | nz | 12 month growth | world | 12 month growth | nz hosts per 000 |
|---|
| Jul-91 | 1,193 | | 535,000 | | 2.23 |
| Oct-91 | 1,318 | | 617,000 | | 2.14 |
| Jul-92 | 1,831 | 53% | 992,000 | 85% | 1.85 |
| Oct-92 | 1,986 | 51% | 1,136,000 | 84% | 1.75 |
| Jan-93 | 2,053 | | 1,313,000 | | 1.56 |
| Jul-93 | 3,165 | 73% | 1,776,000 | 79% | 1.78 |
| Oct-93 | 4,342 | 119% | 2,056,000 | 81% | 2.11 |
| Jan-94 | 5,773 | 181% | 2,217,000 | 69% | 2.60 |
| Jul-94 | 14,380 | 354% | 3,212,000 | 81% | 4.48 |
| Oct-94 | 20,578 | 374% | 3,864,000 | 88% | 5.33 |
| Jan-95 | 31,215 | 441% | 4,852,000 | 119% | 6.43 |
| Jul-95 | 43,863 | 205% | 6,642,000 | 107% | 6.60 |
The same point is made by the next graph, which shows the number of hosts on the New Zealand Internet as a proportion of the hosts on the total Internet. It shows that New Zealand's share of the world's Internet hosts roughly tripled over 1994.
New Zealand Internet Hosts per Thousand Internet Hosts Worldwide
| The raw data for this table was obtained from Network Wizards and is available through their web site at www.nw.com. |
| Date | nz | 12 month growth | world | 12 month growth | nz hosts per 000 |
|---|
| Jul-91 | 1,193 | | 535,000 | | 2.23 |
| Oct-91 | 1,318 | | 617,000 | | 2.14 |
| Jul-92 | 1,831 | 53% | 992,000 | 85% | 1.85 |
| Oct-92 | 1,986 | 51% | 1,136,000 | 84% | 1.75 |
| Jan-93 | 2,053 | | 1,313,000 | | 1.56 |
| Jul-93 | 3,165 | 73% | 1,776,000 | 79% | 1.78 |
| Oct-93 | 4,342 | 119% | 2,056,000 | 81% | 2.11 |
| Jan-94 | 5,773 | 181% | 2,217,000 | 69% | 2.60 |
| Jul-94 | 14,380 | 354% | 3,212,000 | 81% | 4.48 |
| Oct-94 | 20,578 | 374% | 3,864,000 | 88% | 5.33 |
| Jan-95 | 31,215 | 441% | 4,852,000 | 119% | 6.43 |
| Jul-95 | 43,863 | 205% | 6,642,000 | 107% | 6.60 |
These graphs also suggest that this "excess growth" - ie growth greater than that of the Internet as a whole - may be levelling off. Even so New Zealand's Internet might still be expected to grow at the same rate as the world Internet, about 100% per year.
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