Social network accounts outnumber people on Earth

Ten billion registered social-networking accounts in 2010...

Social-networking and online-gaming accounts surpass 10 billion with revenues of $7bn achieved through the sale of virtual goodsImage: Riel Life Productions

There are now more social-networking accounts than there are people in the world, according to figures from In-Stat.

The market analyst reports that there were more than 10 billion social-networking and online-world accounts in 2010 and that nearly 4.5 billion of these are active.

The figures include accounts set up for online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft and 3D virtual world Second Life, as well as social networks such as Facebook and Twitter and online dating sites.

In-Stat analyst Vahid Dejwakh said in a statement that the sale of virtual goods provides a great revenue stream for social-networking sites and online worlds. "The basic premise is to allow everyone to create an account and play for free and then offer users the option of purchasing virtual goods to be able to move up and advance in the game or just to have more fun," Dejwakh said.

In-Stat also reported that growth of online gaming and social networking drove virtual goods revenues above $7bn in 2010. This figure is forecast to double by 2014 as more people become involved in virtual gaming through sites such as Facebook.

The increasing prevalence of mobile devices that provide easy access to social networks and games, such as the Apple iPad and iPhone, is also helping the trend, according to In-Stat.