Paris, November 7 (RHC)-- According to the World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report for 2017-2018, nearly half of the world's 7.6 billion population has access to the internet.

The figure, which was released at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 39th General Conference, increased from 34 percent to 48 percent last year.

Rising mobile internet connectivity in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean was credited for the boost in information accessibility.

Meanwhile, the report states that newspaper circulation has decreased in all regions, except in Asia-Pacific.

The document also points to an increase in the murder of women journalists during the period, from five in 2012 to ten in 2016. Overall, approximately 530 journalists were killed, an average of two deaths per week. The report revealed that 92 percent of journalists killed were local reporters.