This is a post for the internet statistic and milestone boffins. A great landmark in the evolution of the Internet was reached in December 08, with the net population surpassing the 1 billion mark.

According to metrics and research firm ComScore, the internet population (users over the age of 15) reached 1,007,730,000 visitors. The first time it’s broken the 1 billion visitor mark.

From the chart below, it’s evident that the Asian region is really driving user growth. The Asia Pacific region is now the clear leader in terms of internet users, holding 41% of total visitors, followed by Europe and North America.

Comscore CEO, Magid Abraham had this to day about the results:

“Surpassing one billion global users is a significant landmark in the history of the Internet…It is a monument to the increasingly unified global community in which we live and reminds us that the world truly is becoming more flat. The second billion will be online before we know it, and the third billion will arrive even faster than that, until we have a truly global network of interconnected people and ideas that transcend borders and cultural boundaries.”

And in news that will surprise few of you, Google sites were the home of most of these internet visitors. Google provides access to a commanding 77% of the market, which is a phenomenal number of visitors.

We’ll hit 2 billion visitors quicker than we can imagine, and the only other fact almost as certain as the growth, is that Google sites will continue to dominate. What will be interesting is to see who fills up the other top 5 positions when we hit the next milestone.

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