Google Chrome knocks Internet Explorer off the top spot as the world's favourite web browser

 Google's Chrome has overtaken Microsoft's Internet Explorer as the most widely used web browser in the world, according to statistics released yesterday.

Data from web analytics service StatCounter showed that for the week of May 14-20 Chrome has averaged a higher share of web traffic for a full seven-day stretch.

The development will be welcome news for web designers, who have long struggled with the Microsoft browser's patchy implementation of new web coding standards.

Overtaken: This graph shows the market share of the top five web browsers

Statcounter's data showed Chrome in the lead in the field of five major web browsers, with 32.76 per cent share of users, while IE dipped to 31.94 per cent.
The change in web browsing habits represents a remarkable decline for Internet Explorer, which four years ago boasted a market share of nearly 70 per cent.

While it is not the first time that Chrome has overtaken IE, it is the first time that Google's browser has held its position for an entire week - though still by less than a percentage point.