As of February 2025, China ranked first among the countries with the most internet users worldwide. The world's most populated country had 1.11 billion internet users, more than triple the third-ranked United States, with just around 322 million internet users. Overall, all BRIC markets had over two billion internet users, accounting for four of the ten countries with more than 100 million internet users. Worldwide internet usage As of October 2024, there were more than five billion internet users worldwide. There are, however, stark differences in user distribution according to region. Eastern Asia is home to 1.34 billion internet users, while African and Middle Eastern regions had lower user figures. Moreover, the urban areas showed a higher percentage of internet access than rural areas. Internet use in China China ranks first in the list of countries with the most internet users. Due to its ongoing and fast-paced economic development and a cultural inclination towards technology, more than a billion of the estimated 1.4 billion population in China are online. As of the third quarter of 2023, around 87 percent of Chinese internet users stated using WeChat, the most popular social network in the country. On average, Chinese internet users spent five hours and 33 minutes online daily.

The average for 2023 based on 177 countries was 72.46 percent. The highest value was in Bahrain: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Burundi: 11.1 percent. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

As of February 2025, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates ed the ranking of countries with the highest internet penetration rate, all recording ** percent. The worldwide internet penetration rate as of the same research period was **** percent. Most connected regions According to the most recent observations, Northern Europe ranked first among global regions by connectivity rate. The share of the population accessing the internet in this region was nearly ** percent. Western Europe ranked second, followed by Northern America. Overall, the internet reach was higher than ** percent across all European regions, as well as Northern and Southern Americas. Unconnected populations Despite having the biggest online audiences worldwide, India and China are also the markets with the highest number of individuals not connected to the web. Regarding the share of population without internet access in worldwide markets, North Korea ranks first, as the internet in the country remains blocked for most of the general public as of April 2025. Burundi had **** percent of its population unconnected, followed by Chad, with **** percent.

As of February 2025, **** percent of the population in Burundi did not have internet access. Chad followed, with around **** percent reportedly being offline. North Korea ranked first with an internet penetration of nearly **** percent, as the internet remains blocked for its citizens. Global internet freedom and access The degree of internet freedom varies drastically across countries, with some providing open access and others imposing significant restrictions. In 2024, Iceland was leading worldwide in terms of internet freedom, while Myanmar and China ranked the lowest in the world, with strict government surveillance and censorship. The struggle with limited internet access is particularly evident in Africa, which had the lowest internet penetration rates as of 2024. Global privacy concerns The limitations and restrictions to internet access around the world prove that internet users' privacy is extremely vulnerable. And those who have access to the web are somewhat aware of that. By the third quarter of 2024, around **** percent of internet users expressed concerns about companies misusing their data. This growing awareness of privacy risks is reflected in users’ behaviour. By June 2024, ***** in ***internet users worldwide had already taken measures to protect their online privacy. Additionally, many internet users reported taking further steps, such as enabling multi-factor authentication, for stronger privacy protections.

As of February 2025, India was the country with the largest offline population worldwide. The South Asian country had over 651 million people without internet connection. China ranked second, with around 311.9 million people not connected to the internet. Despite these large shares of the disconnected population in these countries, China and India ranked first and second, respectively, as countries with the highest number of internet users worldwide. Internet access in Africa In 2023, Africa lagged behind other global regions regarding internet penetration rate, as only 37 percent of the continent’s population accessed the web. In contrast, around 91 percent of Europe’s population were internet users. This is heavily influenced by the infrastructure development in the region. However, some improvements are forecasted, as by 2028, the internet penetration rate in Africa will be at an estimated 48.15 percent. Global internet access challenges: disruptions and restrictions Government internet shutdowns around the world are another challenge for internet access. Between 2015 and the first half of 2023, 172 local internet connection disruptions occurred due to protests globally. Moreover, according to a 2023report on internet freedom, almost four out of ten global internet users were deprived of essential freedoms on online platforms. In 2023, 76 new restrictions on internet usage were implemented worldwide. Asia led in imposing these restrictions, accounting for approximately 55 cases across various countries in the region.

As of 2023, 65 percent of the population in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) used the internet, compared to 35 percent of individuals living in the least Developed Countries (LDCs) while the internet penetration rate for those living in Landlocked Developing Counties (LLDCs) was at 39 percent. The global online access rate was 68 percent.

Global Total Internet Access by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

The global number of internet users in was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 1.3 billion users (+23.66 percent). After the fifteenth consecutive increasing year, the number of users is estimated to reach 7 billion users and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of internet users of was continuously increasing over the past years.Depicted is the estimated number of individuals in the country or region at hand, that use the internet. As the datasource clarifies, connection quality and usage frequency are distinct aspects, not taken into account here.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the number of internet users in countries like the Americas and Asia.

The average for 2023 based on 17 countries was 76.77 percent. The highest value was in Chile: 94.5 percent and the lowest value was in Guatemala: 56.1 percent. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2024. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This scatter chart displays access to electricity (% of population) against individuals using the Internet (% of population). The data is about countries.

As of the second month of 2025, more than * out of 10 people living in the Bahamas, Chile, Uruguay, Costa Rica, and Argentina were online, putting the countries in the top position regarding internet access in Latin America. Meanwhile, more than ** percent of the populations of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Brazil were online. On the other hand, less than **** of the population of Haiti had access to the internet. Overall, the internet penetration rate in Latin America stood at **** percent. Growth in mobile connectivity… With investments in 4G infrastructure forecast to reach around ***** billion U.S. dollars by 2030, the improvement of mobile connectivity is radically changing the picture of access to the internet in Latin America and the Caribbean. One of the best examples is Peru, where the gap between urban and rural areas has greatly diminished in 2021, making its online audiences the fifth largest on the continent in 2025. …at an unequal rate Despite the improvements, Latin America and the Caribbean still face an enormous gap in internet access: the internet penetration rate in the subregion of South America was **** percent in 2025, while only **** percent of people in the Caribbean had access to the web. Despite its investments in mobile connectivity, most of the web traffic in Venezuela still originated from desktop devices in 2023, and only ***** Ecuadorians had access to mobile internet in 2025.

EU Countries with the Highest Share of Households with Mobile Broadband Internet Access, 2016 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This scatter chart displays access to electricity (% of population) against individuals using the Internet (% of population) in Caribbean. The data is about countries.

European Households With Internet Access at Home by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

European Individuals Accessing the Internet Once a Week by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This scatter chart displays access to electricity (% of population) against individuals using the Internet (% of population) in Western Africa. The data is about countries.

EU Countries with the Highest Share of Households with Fixed Broadband Internet Access, 2016 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

European Internet Access Provision Services HICP by Country, 2022 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

As of 2024, the share of individuals accessing the internet in the least developed countries (LDCs) of the world was 35 percent. In the examined year, the internet usage rate in landlocked developing countries (LLDC) was 39 percent. As per Small Island Developing States (SIDS), 65 percent of the population was reported to connect to the web.

This dataset is about countries per year in Andorra. It has 64 rows. It features 4 columns: country, access to electricity, and individuals using the Internet.