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HELSINKI: Google Inc's Chrome web browser overtook Microsoft Corp's Internet Explorer (IE) on March 18 to become market leader globally for the first time, web analytics firm StatCounter said.

"While it is only one day, this is a milestone," said Aodhan Cullen, StatCounter's chief executive. "On weekends, when people are free to choose what browser to use, many of them are selecting Chrome in preference to IE."

On that day, Chrome was used for 32.7% of all browsing, while IE had a 32.5% share. When people returned to their offices the next day - on Monday - the IE share rose to 35% and Chrome 's slipped to 30%.

"Whether Chrome can take the lead in the browser wars in the long term remains to be seen, however the trend towards Chrome usage on weekends is undeniable," Cullen said.

On a monthly basis, Chrome 's market share has surged to 31% so far in March from 17% a year ago, while IE has slipped to 35% from 45% a year earlier.

The market share of Firefox, which is popular in Europe, is globally around 25%.

Apple Inc's Safari is a distant No 4 with a 7% share of all browsing, with Opera at No 5 on 2%.

StatCounter statistics are based on aggregate data from more than three million websites with a sample of more than 15 billion pageviews per month. - Reuters