According to a report by United Nations (UN) Pakistan is among world’s top 10 economies in respect of online users. 16 million Pakistanis become online between 2012-2015 which ranked Pakistan among the top 10.
These 16 million people who came online in just 3 years account for more than 47% of total online users. One of the major reasons for the increase in internet users was the availability of 3G internet while another reason was the cheap availability of smartphones.
The report ‘ Information Economy Report’ was released during UN Conference on Trade & Development. In which the top 10 countries were:
- India
- China
- Nigeria
- Mexico
- Brazil
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Japan
- Pakistan
- Bangladesh
In Pakistan it resulted in introduction of many online business models such as Daraz, Ali Express, Kaymu, Careem & Uber. They have sold products and services amounting to billions of Rupees.
The increased numbers of online users is resulting in increased E-commerce. Three of the largest e-commerce markets are from Asia which are China, Japan & South Korea. The list indicates that if governments of India, Indonesia, Pakistan & Bangladesh give proper attention to e-commerce they can generate new sources of income for the state.