Statistical information on internet users worldwide

Spending on eLearning worldwide is expected to double each year, exceeding 23 billion US dollars by 2004. While much of this is in the USA, Western Europe will be among the leading adopters of eLearning.

The Corporate University Exchange in the USA has estimated that while only 20 per cent of corporate learning took place electronically in 1999 this is expected to double to 40 per cent by 2003.

Although demand has cooled over the past 18 months, the worldwide corporate elearning market remains a source of significant opportunity for vendors and investors alike.

From a regional perspective, the U.S. market, which represents the largest national market for vendors, is by no means mature or declining. North America is expected to maintain its dominance of the market, accounting for two-thirds of worldwide revenues by 2004. It will grow substantially over the next five years.

IDC identified Western Europe as the fastest-growing market, predicting that corporate elearning revenues would increase by a compound annual growth rate of 97 percent from 1999 to 2004.

Also, of the three principal elearning segments tracked by IDC - content, infrastructure, and services - elearning content will remain the largest market opportunity throughout the forecast period, while the services segment will offer the most rapid growth.

"There is still plenty of opportunity out there for investors in the corporate elearning market," says Michael Brennan, manager of IDC's Corporate Learning and Performance research. "Today's buyers are more pragmatic in terms of both their expectations and use of Internet technology for training delivery. In the process of employing elearning, however, many are becoming more dependent upon it."

IDC believes that solid business cases and short-term ROI will continue to influence buying decisions made by those both inside and outside the training department.

Vendors should have a well-reasoned and relatively easy-to-grasp message that includes both cost savings and productivity gains. There is a chance customers will emphasize one over the other, but more often than not, they want both.

The growth in the elearning market is attributed to increased Internet use, faster and cheaper access to the Internet, and improvements in the quality of elearning products.

A shift in content demand is expected, with non-IT courseware replacing IT training content as the largest market in elearning. By 2004, non-IT content will account for 54 percent of worldwide demand, up from 28 percent in 2000.

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