Last year proved to be yet another record for ReliefWeb - our user numbers jumped by 26 percent from 2020 to just over 19 million. To put that into perspective - the total number of users in 2014 was a “mere” 4.9 million! So, thanks to the humanitarian community for making our website the “go-to” platform for all things disaster- and aid-related.
The Philippines overtook the USA (2.3 million) as the top source country for user numbers with 2.6 million, followed by India in third place with almost a million, the UK (736,181), South Africa (691,344), Kenya (612,735), Nigeria (558,612), Pakistan (489,240), Canada (395,697) and in 10th place, Colombia, with 351,448 users.
Tropical Cyclone Eloise, which hit southern Africa in January 2021, had the highest number of report page views, with 648,159, followed by Typhoon Rai in December last year, with 290,817. The scale of the disasters to hit the Philippines probably explains the country’s position as the top source country for user numbers - in addition to Rai, there were Floods and Landslides in July; Severe Tropical Storm Kompasu in October; the eruption of the Taal Volcano also in July, and Typhoon Surigai in April.
The continuing drought in East Africa, together with the recurring locust swarms, ensured page views above 200,000 for the Ethiopia and Somalia drought disasters, and the Horn of Africa Locust Infestation, which began in 2019.
Other significant trends to note from 2021:
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Mobile-phone usage increased by 24 percent to 44 percent of the total and desktop use rose by 13 percent to comprise 55 percent of total usage. Tablet use continues to decline, down nine percent to one percent of the total.
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The number of users from the field increased by 33 percent to 5.7 million.
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The number of reports posted was down to just over 50,000, a reflection of the significant increase registered in 2020 as COVID-19 was unleashed upon the world.
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The number of users accessing the reports section topped 16 million, up 32 percent, while for jobs the figure was just over two million. The number of users accessing trainings was down again - to 134,430 - as COVID-19 restrictions continued to impinge on in-person meetings.
As always, we welcome your feedback, comments and suggestions, so please do get in touch via feedback@reliefweb.int.
**Download ReliefWeb Highlights 2021