Connected India: Visualizing the Rise of Internet Access
Prateeksha Prajapati
Project Introduction
This final project explores the growth of internet access in India using public open data from Our World in Data, one of the approved open-data sources listed in the course instructions. The report focuses on how internet access has changed over time, how India compares with selected countries and the world, and how mobile connectivity relates to India’s digital expansion.
The report includes eight complete visualizations, at least three different chart types, and one interactive Plotly visualization.
Data Source
The data used in this report comes from Our World in Data Grapher datasets:
- Internet access: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-individuals-using-the-internet.csv
- Mobile cellular subscriptions: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people.csv
- Fixed broadband subscriptions: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/fixed-broadband-subscriptions-per-100-people.csv
These datasets are based on international telecommunications and development indicators, including data from the International Telecommunication Union and World Bank.
Figure 1: India’s Internet Access Over Time
Interpretation: This line chart shows the long-term rise in internet access in India. The upward curve becomes much steeper after the mid-2010s, showing a period of rapid digital adoption.
Figure 2: India Compared with Selected Countries
Interpretation: This multi-line chart places India’s internet adoption in a global context. India’s growth has been strong, but the comparison also shows that some countries reached high levels of connectivity earlier.
Figure 3: Latest Internet Access Comparison
Interpretation: This bar chart makes it easier to compare countries at a single point in time. It highlights both India’s progress and the remaining gap between India and countries with very high internet penetration.
Figure 4: Mobile Subscriptions in India
Interpretation: The area chart emphasizes the scale of mobile adoption. Mobile subscriptions expanded far faster than traditional fixed broadband, helping make internet access more available.
Figure 5: Fixed Broadband Adoption in India
Interpretation: Unlike mobile access, fixed broadband grew much more slowly. This suggests that India’s digital growth has been heavily mobile-first rather than fixed-line-first.
Figure 6: Three Connectivity Indicators for India
Interpretation: The faceted figure compares three indicators without forcing them onto the same scale. This makes it easier to see how each technology followed a different growth pattern.
Figure 7: Change in Internet Access Since 2010
Interpretation: This chart focuses on progress rather than final levels. It shows which countries experienced the largest growth in internet access since 2010.
Figure 8: Interactive Internet Access Explorer
Interpretation: This interactive chart allows
readers to explore trends by hovering over different country lines. It
meets the assignment requirement for an interactive visualization using
plotly.
Summary
This project shows that India’s internet access has grown dramatically, especially during the past decade. The visualizations also show that India’s digital growth is strongly connected to mobile connectivity, while fixed broadband adoption has remained comparatively limited. By using multiple visualization types, the report presents both long-term trends and cross-country comparisons in a clear and data-driven way.
Requirement Checklist
| Assignment Requirement | Completed? |
|---|---|
| R Markdown report | Yes |
| Eight visualizations | Yes |
| At least three figure types | Yes |
| One interactive or animated figure | Yes, Plotly |
| Clear titles | Yes |
| Clear axis labels and legends | Yes |
| Public data source | Yes, Our World in Data |
| Publishable to RPubs | Yes |