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33 Signs that Bitcoin Growth Isn’t Slowing in 2016

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33 Signs that Bitcoin Growth Isn't Slowing in 2016

33 Signs that Bitcoin Growth Isn’t Slowing in 2016

It’s been a year of mixed results for cryptocurrency enthusiasts and speculators.

The biggest positive for Bitcoin is that it was actually the best performing currency this year, ahead of the US Dollar and the Israeli Shekel. Bitcoins have climbed a solid 21% in value over the course of the year in USD terms, and even more relative to other currencies. While the cryptocurrency hasn’t reached the heights it did in 2013, this is still a sign of positive strength.

On the other hand, mainstream news around Bitcoin over the course of 2015 has been distracting at best.

Ross Ulbricht, the man supposedly behind Silk Road, was sentenced to life imprisonment in May without the possibility of parole.

More recently, the Hunt for Satoshi has also heated up. Wired and Gizmodo subsequently both published reports that former Australian academic Craig Steven Wright was the creator of Bitcoin. Within hours, his house was raided by Australian police as part of an “unrelated” case. Days later, Wired rescinded its affirmation that Wright was the creator of the cryptocurrency, and instead asserted it was an elaborate hoax.

Lastly, despite close to $500 million in venture capital going into cryptocurrency-related pursuits, so far there hasn’t been any breakthroughs or apps that have captured the public’s eye. There has been progress and recognition around the merits of blockchain technology, but ultimately Bitcoin remains in the trough of disillusionment.

Bitcoin Growth in 2016

Today’s infographic highlights 33 signs that growth in Bitcoin will not slow down in 2016.

In our opinion, here are the most important reasons:

  • The total amount of VC investment in Bitcoin since 2012 is $927 million. Over half of this investment has occurred in 2015 alone.
  • World-class merchants now accept bitcoins for payment, including: Microsoft, Dell, Expedia, Dish, Overstock, TigerDirect, and Intuit.
  • Transaction fees with bitcoins are extremely low: 0.0001 BTC per 1000 bytes.
  • Daily transactions occurring with bitcoins amount to about $289 million per day. This is comparable to Paypal ($397 million), Square ($362 million), or Western Union ($216 million).

Original graphic by: BargainFox

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Visualizing Internet Usage by Global Region

In this infographic, we map out internet usage by global region based on the latest data from the World Bank.

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Map showing internet usage by region.

Visualizing Internet Usage by Global Region

This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.

Digital technologies have become an integral part of our daily lives, transforming communications, business, health, education, and more. Yet, billions of people around the world are still offline, and digital advancement has been uneven.

Here, we map internet usage by region based on data from the World Bank’s Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023.

Digitalization Has Been Uneven

According to the World Bank, between 2018 and 2022, the world gained 1.5 billion new internet users.

In 2020 alone, the share of the global population using the internet increased by 6% (500 million people), marking the highest jump in history. India, in particular, has seen high rates of adoption. For example, in 2018, only 20% of Indians used the internet. By 2022, this percentage had grown to more than 50%.

RegionIndividuals using the internet (% of population)
East Asia & Pacific74
Europe & Central Asia87
Latin America & the Caribbean76
Middle East & North Africa77
North America92
South Asia42
Sub-Saharan Africa34

However, the progress of digitalization has been uneven both within and across countries.

In 2022, one-third of the global population remained offline, with parts of Asia and Africa still experiencing very low rates of internet usage. For instance, more than half of businesses in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Senegal reportedly lack internet connection.

According to the World Bank’s report, when fast internet becomes available, the probability of an individual being employed increases by up to 13%, and total employment per firm increases by up to 22%. Moreover, firm exports nearly quadruple with the availability of fast internet. Across Africa, 3G coverage has been associated with a reduction in extreme poverty, with reductions of 10% seen in Senegal and 4.3% in Nigeria.

Curious to learn more about the internet? Check out this animated chart that shows the most popular web browsers since 1994.

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