Wikipedia turns 15: How it changed our lives & the world

The world's largest encyclopedia Wikipedia turned 15 today. It has clearly transformed and "disrupted" how people around the globe search for information.

Also read: Russian Encyclopaedia to replace Wikipedia in Putin's expensive attempt to curb 'fake news'

It was started in 2001 by Jimmy Wales with the vision of free information access to each and every person on the planet.

Today, it has over 38 million articles in 250 diverse languages. In India, it has over 700 million users.

It is the world's largest repository of human knowledge.

Also read: China blocks all language editions of Wikipedia

The English version of Wikipedia is the seventh most-visited website in the world.

It has at least half a billion users logging in every day around the world. The pages are edited regularly by 80 thousand volunteers.

At least 24 per cent of web traffic related is related to education, according to a survey with 28 per cent users who have never known a world where Wikipedia does not exist.