Internet Usage Statistics 2026: The Global Connectivity Revolution

The global landscape of internet access continues to evolve at a rapid pace. From remote rural communities gaining connectivity to enterprise networks relying on cloud and mobile access, the internet’s role has grown both in scale and complexity. For example, a manufacturing firm in the U.S. uses connected devices and cloud-based monitoring to cut downtime, while a healthcare network in Southeast Asia leverages internet‑based telemedicine to reach isolated patients. This article presents a detailed look at the latest statistics on internet usage worldwide, inviting you to explore how connectivity trends are shaping business, society, and infrastructure.

Editor’s Choice (Top 7 Key Statistics)

• 5.64 billion people were using the internet globally at the start of April 2025, about 68.7% of the world’s population.
• Global internet users grew by about 136 million (≈ +2.5%) during 2024.
• A total of 2.63 billion people remained offline at the start of 2025.
• In the U.S., there were around 322 million internet users at the start of 2025, with a penetration rate of 93.1%.
• In India, approximately 806 million individuals used the internet in January 2025, where online penetration stood at 55.3%.
• China led the world in sheer number of internet users with around 1.11 billion in 2025.
• The digital divide persists: while many regions are above 90% penetration, some still have under 30% of the population online.

Recent Developments

• The latest global overview report identifies 2025 as another “bumper year” for connected tech and online behaviours.
• Mobile‑based internet access continues to displace desktop/laptop access in many regions, especially in developing markets.
• Video now accounts for more than three‑quarters of traffic over cellular networks in many markets.
• Growth in fixed broadband is slower compared to mobile in emerging markets, reflecting shifting infrastructure priorities.
• New satellite Internet services are entering underserved regions, promising connectivity where fixed or mobile networks are weak.
• Data‑intensive online activities, like streaming, gaming, and remote work, are pushing demand for higher speeds and reliability.
• Infrastructure investment remains crucial: expanding fibre, 5G, and satellite networks are key to closing gaps in access.
• Despite growth, local regulatory, affordability, and digital‑skills barriers continue to limit adoption in many regions.

Global Internet Use Over Time

• The first website was launched on 06 August 1991, marking the beginning of the internet era.
• In 1990, only 2.6 million individuals were online, with rapid growth in the following years.
• By 1991, internet users grew to 4.28 million, and by 1992, there were 6.90 million users.
• The internet crossed the 1 billion milestone in 2005 with 1.00 billion users.
• By 2014, global internet use had surpassed 2.5 billion (exactly 2.52 billion).
• 2015 saw further growth to 2.74 billion, and by 2020, the number of internet users exceeded 4 billion (4.15 billion).
• By 2025, the number of global internet users is projected to reach 5.56 billion, marking an ongoing trend of growth.

Key Milestones:

• 1991: First website launched.
• 1993-1999: Steady rise from 10 million to 118 million internet users.
• 2000: Internet use jumps to 499 million.
• 2005: Reaches 1 billion users.
• 2010: Exceeds 2 billion.
• 2015: Hits 2.74 billion users.
• 2020: Crosses 4 billion users (4.15 billion).
• 2025: Expected to reach 5.56 billion.

Number of Internet Users Worldwide

• Reported figures for global users in 2025 vary slightly but cluster around 5.5 billion to 5.64 billion.
• 2024’s estimated user base was around 5.35 billion, growing by approximately +3.7% to hit the 2025 figure.
• One dataset lists the growth path: 2,023 ≈ 5.158 billion, 2024, ≈ 5.35 billion, 202,5 ≈ 5.56 billion.
• The scale of increase is notable: in just one decade, the user base more than doubled from ~2.5 billion in 2013 to over 5 billion in 2025.
• The figure of ~5.5 billion users contrasts with ~8+ billion global population, meaning a sizeable portion remains offline or under‑connected.
• In the U.S., for example, the total user count is ~322 million in early 2025; this shows that national-level data contributes to the global aggregate.
• Some emerging markets reinforced large numeric gains in 2024–2025, meaning the “next billion” users are increasingly from Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.

Internet Penetration Rate by Region

• The global share of individuals using the Internet was about 68% in 2024, per the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) data.
• In North America, the penetration rate stood at around 93.3% in early 2025.
• Northern Europe reported penetration rates as high as 97.7% among its population.
• In contrast, West Africa had an internet penetration rate of only about 42.5%.
• East Africa’s penetration was particularly low, documented at around 28.5% in one dataset.
• South Asia, despite large numbers of users, still had a lower penetration relative to population size: ~53.8% in one region.
• Western Europe recorded a penetration of 95.1%, reflecting high connectivity and developed infrastructure.
• The variance across regions underscores the infrastructure and digital inclusion gap, where high numbers of users may still represent modest shares of the population.

Countries with the Highest Number of Internet Users

• China is estimated to have ~1.11 billion internet users in 2025, making it the largest online population globally.
• India follows with around 806 million users as of January 2025.
• The United States had about 322 million internet users at the start of 2025.
• Indonesia had approximately 212 million users (≈ 74% penetration) in 2025.
• Brazil ranked among the top, with around 183 million users in 2025 (~86.6% penetration).
• Russia had approximately 133 million internet users in 2025 (from one top‑10 listing).
• The top countries by user count collectively account for a large share of the global online population, reinforcing how internet growth remains concentrated.

Countries with the Lowest Internet Access

• In the Central African Republic, approximately 89.4% of the total population was not connected to the internet in 2025.
• In Burundi, around 88.7% of the population had no internet access in the same period.
• According to one ranking, North Korea had effectively 0% internet penetration for the general public because access remains heavily restricted.
• Many of the countries in sub‑Saharan Africa have infrastructure, affordability, and geography cthat ombine to suppress connectivity.
• In these least‑connected countries, fixed broadband speeds are often just 7‑9 Mbps due to limited infrastructure.
• Global estimates suggest that of the roughly 2.6 billion people still offline, a significant share live in the world’s lowest‑access countries or regions.
• Internet adoption in low‑access countries also lags due to digital‑skills gaps, affordability of devices, and network coverage, rather than purely a lack of users.
• The contrast is stark: while many countries have >90% penetration, the ones at the bottom remain under 30% penetration rates in some regions.

Internet Usage by Age and Gender

• Worldwide, as of April 2025, approximately 70.8% of men used the internet, compared with 66.5% of women, a gender gap of about 4.3 percentage points globally.
• Across 36 countries, women outnumber men as internet users; in 89 countries, men outnumber women.
• In the age bracket 15‑24 years, about 77% of individuals were active internet users worldwide (2025) – showing younger cohorts still lead adoption.
• Among older age groups, usage drops: for example, globally, fewer than half of people in many older age brackets are connected, depending on the region.
• In the U.S., for adults aged 30‑49, internet usage is near universal; almost 94 out of every 100 use the internet.
• The gender gap is more pronounced in Southern Asia and Sub‑Saharan Africa, where female adoption remains meaningfully lower.
• As device access and digital literacy improve, the gender gap is shrinking, but the gap remains significant in the most under‑connected regions.

Urban vs Rural Internet Access

• Globally, 83% of urban dwellers were using the internet in 2024, while only 48% of rural residents were online, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• More than 1.8 billion of the remaining offline population live in rural areas; only about 800 million reside in urban areas.
• In India, only 3.8% of rural households had access to fibre‑based internet, compared to 15.3% in urban homes.
• Rural households in India had only 9.1% fixed/WiFi connectivity vs 24% in urban households.
• The urban‑rural access gap remains a key barrier to inclusive connectivity and limits economic and educational opportunities in rural regions.
• Infrastructure deployment costs, geography, lower population density, and affordability all contribute to slower progress in rural connectivity.
• Urban usage tends to allow for richer online behaviour (video streaming, remote work) because of better speeds and reliability, rural users often remain on slower, mobile‑only connections.

Broadband Internet Statistics (Fixed and Mobile)

• According to the OECD’s broadband statistics (December 2024), fixed and mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants are tracked across countries.
• The global average fixed broadband download speed in 2025 is reported at about 97.3 Mbps, and the mobile internet average speed is at 53.8 Mbps.
• As of January 2025, median fixed broadband download speeds in top‑ranking countries exceeded 230 Mbps.
• Growth in fibre‑optic, fixed wireless access (FWA), and satellite broadband is projected to drive the increase from about 1.6 billion global broadband connections to 2 billion by 2030.
• Broadband pricing remains a barrier: in some markets, less than 50% of households have fixed broadband subscriptions, even where mobile is common.
• Mobile broadband coverage continues to outpace fixed broadband in many low‑income countries due to lower deployment costs and higher portability.
• In many mature markets, fixed broadband penetration exceeds 30‑40 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, while many developing countries lag significantly.

Mobile Internet Usage Statistics

• As of May 2025, mobile devices account for 64.35% of all website traffic globally, and desktop devices make up around 35.71%.
• In emerging markets, mobile internet is often the first and only form of connectivity for many users, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
• The GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025 report emphasizes the “coverage gap” (people within mobile‑broadband coverage but not yet online) and the “usage gap” (people connected but not meaningfully online).
• Smartphone availability and data‑plan affordability continue to drive mobile internet adoption, especially where fixed options are limited.
• Mobile internet traffic has grown from around 6.1% in 2011 to over 60% today; this reflects the rapid shift in how users access the internet.
• In many developing countries, mobile internet usage is more common than fixed broadband usage for everyday online tasks and social connectivity.
• As mobile speeds improve (e.g., with 4G/5G), mobile internet is increasingly used for streaming, remote work and digital services, not just messaging and browsing.

Daily Time Spent Online

• One dataset reports that the global bracket of 15‑24‑year‑olds were more actively online, though specific average hours across all ages are varied.
• A source indicates that older age groups may show lower usage, for example, only 21% of women aged 65+ were online in one dataset compared to 34% of men in the same bracket.
• Many users now spend 6 hours + per day online globally when combining all devices, though figures differ by country and age.
• In the U.S., a survey found many adults report spending over 10 hours daily online (including streaming, browsing, and social media), though the sample was limited to home‑Internet subscribers.
• Mobile usage (on smartphones) now often dominates screen time, especially among younger users, reflecting a shift away from desktop and traditional TV.
• The increase in online time accentuates demand for higher speeds, more reliable connections, and more content/services tailored to mobile and multitasking behaviours.
• Prolonged online time raises questions around digital wellness, productivity, and infrastructure capacity, especially in markets where fixed network capacity is limited.

Website and Domain Statistics

• As of early 2025, global users numbered around 5.56 billion, and user growth added approximately 136 million new users during 2024.
• Global internet penetration, according to this report, stood at about 67.9% as of early 2025.
• The number of domains, websites, and web services continues to grow as connectivity expands globally, though precise global domain‑count figures vary by registry and region.
• The shift toward mobile traffic (see previous section) means that many websites are optimizing for mobile first, and domain registration growth reflects increased small‑business online presence.
• In the U.S., with ~322 million users earlyin 2025, website engagement per user continues to increase across devices.
• Growth in domains is also partly driven by new top‑level domain registrations and geographic localisations, especially in emerging markets where local services expand.
• As average internet speeds increase (fixed and mobile), more complex websites and web apps are now feasible globally, expanding domain diversity and richness of content.
• The relationship between increased domain count and average user‑time online highlights how the web ecosystem is getting deeper, not just broader.

Social Media Usage Statistics

• As of early 2025, there were approximately 5.41 billion social media users worldwide, equating to about 65.7% of the global population.
• The average global daily time spent on social media is around 2 hours and 21 minutes.
• The average person uses 6.83 different social media platforms per month.

• Social media advertising spend is projected to reach $276.7 billion in 2025 (with 83% of that on mobile by 2030).
• Globally, 38.3% of active social media users say they use platforms for work‑related activities.
• In the U.S., about 73% of the total population is active social media users (≈ 253 million users).
• Among motivations, keeping in touch with friends and family remains the top reason, but only about 50.8% of users cite it as a primary motivation.
• “Reading news stories” is cited by around 34.5% of adult social media users as a main reason to visit social platforms.
• In less developed economies, social media for work is higher, e.g, in Nigeria, more than 50% of users say they use social media for professional activities.

Email Usage Statistics

• Reliable recent global figures specific to email usage in 2025 are limited, but email remains a core digital communication tool with billions of active accounts worldwide (industry‑analysis sources).
• One estimate indicates that in 2024, email users numbered over 4 billion globally, representing more than half the world’s population at the time.
• In the U.S., the vast majority of working professionals use email daily; many surveys show that over 90% of adults with internet access also access email.
• Among age groups, younger users may prefer chat or messaging apps, but among older age brackets (50+), email remains among the most common online activities.
• For businesses, enterprise email usage remains integral: the majority of companies report email as the principal channel for internal/external communications.
• Many users access email via mobile devices: over 60% of email opens globally now occur on smartphones or tablets.
• Security‑related concerns around email (phishing, spam, malware) continue to drive user behaviour: one study shows 44% of internet users say they’ve experienced some form of online harassment, often via email.
• Corporate email adoption among small businesses continues to rise, with many adopting cloud‑based email services as part of digital transformation.

Online Shopping Statistics

• In 2025, over 2.77 billion people are expected to shop online globally.
• Global e‑commerce sales are projected to exceed US $6.86 trillion in 2025.
• In 2024, the number of online buyers was reported at 2.71 billion, growing by around +2.7% year‑on‑year.
• The U.S. retail e‑commerce sales in Q1 2025 reached about US $300.2 billion.
• Women are slightly more active online shoppers than men: in one dataset, 72% of women vs 68% of men shopped online at least once a month.
• Mobile commerce (‘m‑commerce’) is growing rapidly: in 2023, mobile devices accounted for ~72% of global e‑commerce sales, with projections toward ~88% by 2027.
• One in five consumers (≈ 20%) make online purchases once a week; ~31% shop online once a month.
• Payment method trends: In the U.S., 52% of online shoppers used a debit card and 47% used a credit card in one recent year.
• Security concerns matter: among U.S. online shoppers, 92% stated that security is a critical factor when shopping online in one survey.

Internet Usage for Business & Workplace

• Approximately 29.9% of all businesses are now conducted online, compared with 21.5% in 2015. By 2025, many firms will have shifted significant operations online.
• A report found that in the U.S., employees expect to use generative AI for more than 30% of their daily tasks within 1‑5 years; as of 2025, employees self‑report a higher usage than C‑suite estimates.
• In 2025, more than 34% of employees expect to use generative AI for 30%+ of work tasks within less than a year.
• Digital tools, including cloud, remote collaboration, and mobile access, now underpin workplace internet usage; global business‑internet trends emphasize connectivity, AI‑driven engaengagementnd security.
• A survey of small businesses in India found that 73% of MSMEs (micro/ small/ medium enterprises) reported business growth via digital adoption (smartphones and UPI) in 2025.
• Remote/hybrid working continues as a major driver of internet usage at the workplace: many companies maintain permanent remote access for a significant share of staff.
• Cybersecurity and internet‑access reliability remain major business concerns as internet usage becomes core to workplace operations.

Privacy and Security Concerns Online

• Globally, about 63% of internet users believe most companies aren’t transparent about how their data is used.
• Around 48% of users have stopped shopping with a company due to privacy concerns.
• By the start of 2025, 144 countries had data and consumer privacy laws in place.
• Fewer than 30% of internet users aged 16+ say they worry about how companies use their personal data online, a decline of ~7.1% versus two years earlier.
• Approximately 47% of consumers trust social media and online services to safeguard their data, while 79% of Americans lack confidence in companies admitting to data misuse.
• The global average cost of a data breach in 2025 is reported at around $4.44 million per incident.
• Many organizations report a lack of visibility into third‑party relationships and data flows; e.g., a recent survey found 46% of firms unsure of their third‑party count.
• In developing countries, women entrepreneurs face high rates of online harassment: in a survey, ~57% said they were harassed while engaging in online business.

Future Trends in Global Internet Usage

• The internet now reaches a “super‑majority”: more than twice as many people use the internet (~5.56 billion at the start of 2025) as those who remain offline (~2.63 billion).
• Emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and satellite broadband are set to drive the next wave of connectivity and usage.
• Mobile broadband and fixed wireless access (FWA) are expected to expand rapidly in underserved markets, helping close the access gap.
• The diversification of platforms and behaviours means users will spend more time across multiple devices and services, not just traditional web but also AR/VR, streaming, and virtual workplaces.
• For businesses, increased reliance on internet‑based operations means continued focus on digital resilience, redundancy, and security by design.
• Social commerce (shopping directly via social platforms) is projected to accelerate, merging social media and e‑commerce more deeply.
• Rising consumer expectations for speed, reliability, and seamless access will put pressure on infrastructure investment globally.
• Data privacy regulations will continue to evolve, with more countries adopting laws and consumers expecting greater transparency.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

The connectivity story shows a world where the internet is ever more central to commerce, to work, to daily life. From over 5.5 billion internet users globally to nearly 5.4 billion engaged on social media, the scale is immense. Businesses and consumers alike face both opportunity and responsibility as usage grows: online shopping, remote workplaces, social platforms, and global digital access all hinge on connectivity, speed, and trust. Meanwhile, the digital divide persists in many regions, and privacy remains a concern for many users.