As of October 2025, China has the world’s largest online population, with approximately 1.3 billion internet users. India, currently the most populous nation, ranks second with about 1.03 billion users. The United States follows in third place. Worldwide internet usage As of October 2025, there are more than six billion internet users worldwide. However, user distribution varies significantly by region. In 2024, Eastern Asia alone accounted for 1.34 billion internet users, while Africa and the Middle East reported considerably lower figures. As expected, urban areas also exhibited higher rates of internet access compared to rural regions. Internet use in China It is no surprise that China ranks first among countries with the most internet users. Driven by rapid economic development and a strong cultural embrace of technology, 91.6 percent of China’s estimated 1.4 billion residents are online. As of the third quarter of 2024, about 91.8 percent of Chinese internet users were active on WeChat, the country’s most popular social platform. During the same period, Chinese internet users spent an average of five hours and 33 minutes online each day.

As of October 2025, Singapore led the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in internet adoption, with internet users accounting for **** percent of its population. In contrast, Pakistan had an internet adoption rate of **** percent. The disparity reveals the complex landscape of internet accessibility and infrastructure development in the region. Challenges and opportunities in developing markets While some Asian countries boast world-leading internet speeds and high adoption rates, others face significant hurdles. South Asian nations like Pakistan and Bangladesh have internet adoption rates below ** percent in 2025. India’s internet penetration rate, at over ** percent, still leaves more than *** million people unconnected to the internet. Yet these gaps also underscore huge growth potential for the region. Rapid progress can be seen in mobile internet adoption in Indonesia in recent years, with penetration estimated to grow from under ** percent in 2020 to over ** percent in 2025, highlighting how quickly connectivity can advance when infrastructure development and affordability are prioritized. Mobile internet driving greater access The rapid expansion of mobile internet is playing a crucial role in driving internet adoption across Asia. As smartphone ownership is becoming the norm in Asia-Pacific, mobile devices now serve as the primary and most accessible gateway to the internet. The preference for mobile internet access is especially evident in Southeast Asia, where users report spending more online time via smartphones than on computers. In 2024, mobile internet user penetration in the Asia-Pacific region reached ** percent, up from ** percent in 2018. This trend is expected to continue, with projections indicating a ** percent penetration rate by 2030. The growth in mobile internet usage is transforming how people access online services and information, particularly in areas where fixed broadband infrastructure is limited.

As of October 2025, in Southeast Asia, Singapore's internet adoption was recorded at approximately **** percent. In comparison, Indonesia, the region's most populous country, had an internet adoption rate of about **** percent. Mobile connects Southeast Asians A preference for mobile over other connected devices is widespread and continuously growing among Southeast Asian users. Users in the region typically spend a higher share of internet time using mobile devices compared to computers. This is reflected in the region’s gaming sector, where mobile gaming apps dominate Southeast Asia’s gaming market, making up the largest segment. As smartphone ownership in the region's major markets has already surpassed ** percent, mobile devices are the most widely accessible way to go online for consumers across the region. Mobile infrastructure varies across the region Malaysia and Singapore boast some of the highest mobile internet penetration rates in the world, attributable to their national mobile internet infrastructures. While Southeast Asia's most populous markets, Indonesia and the Philippines, also have the largest online populations in the region, there is still room for growth due to mobile infrastructures being unable to accommodate the high user demand. However, mobile network infrastructure is developing quickly, as Indonesia's mobile internet penetration surpassed ** percent in 2024, marking a significant increase from under ** percent in 2020.

Internet users for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific was 77.12008 Per 100 People in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Internet users for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific reached a record high of 77.12008 in January of 2023 and a record low of 0.00000 in January of 1991. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Internet users for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on December of 2025.

The number of internet users in Asia was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 846.6 million users (+25.17 percent). After the fifteenth consecutive increasing year, the number of users is estimated to reach 4.2 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 Africa and Worldwide.

As of June 2025, about 79.7 percent of the Chinese population had used the internet. The penetration rate denotes the share of the population that has access to a certain communication medium. Internet coverage in China For comparison, the global average internet penetration rate had resided at about 67.9 percent as of February 2025. The internet penetration in China had also been above the average rate in the Asia-Pacific countries. However, neighboring countries such as Japan and South Korea have displayed substantially higher internet penetration rates than China. It is worth noting that the internet usage in the country has faced a large regional disparity. Some of the remote western regions had shown penetration rates of below 45 percent. Chinese online population Over the past decade, the number of Chinese internet users has grown at a remarkable pace. By December 2024, the total number of internet users in the world's second most populous country had amounted to approximately 1,108 million, up from 772 million at the end of 2017. Apart from extended access to broadband internet connections, mobile internet took up a large share in internet user growth. The share of users accessing the internet via mobile devices had significantly exceeded that of those via desktops in the country. About 99.9 percent of Chinese internet users accessed the web via mobile phone.

In 2024, Eastern Asia accounted for approximately 1.34 billion of the world’s internet users, followed by Southern Asia with over 1.1 billion. The global digital population in April 2022 amounted to 5.5 billion internet users in total. Internet user growth worldwide With constantly declining smartphone prices and improvements in digital infrastructure, the increasing connectivity among global online audiences is moving along at a steady pace. Many previously underserviced regions have begun to profit from mobile online connections, leapfrogging the desktop PC development phase and starting out as mobile-first societies. The fastest growing online populations based on relative year-on-year user growth include many African nations, led by the Western Sahara where online audiences grew 364 percent annually. Despite the growing number of internet users in Africa, the continent still lags behind other regions in terms of online adoption. The highest on the continent was Southern Africa with a penetration rate of 68 percent, Middle Africa was ranked last worldwide. The region had an online penetration rate of just 25 percent, highlighting the ongoing struggles for connectivity but also the untapped digital potential within Africa.

China is home to the largest online community in the world. According to estimates, the Chinese internet population was around **** billion in 2022 and would reach **** billion by 2026. By comparison, the internet user-base of the United States was around *** million in 2022. The country’s internet penetration rate is around ** percent, indicating that almost one out of three Chinese are still offline.

Mobile-first kingdom

Affordable smartphones play an important role in China’s rising internet population. In 2022, almost all Chinese people accessed the internet through mobile phones. Messaging, watching videos, and listening to music are popular activities. In fact, Chinese people spent over three hours of their daily time online. This large and engaged mobile internet population has provided a wide range of opportunities to hi-tech companies in China, including online dating and matchmaking business.

What’s next?

As of June 2022, around ** percent of online users were living in rural China. To provide more affordable and faster internet services, measures have been carried out in the country to reduce service rates and extend the 1,000-Megabyte broadband connection to over *** cities. In 2019, the government announced to roll out 5G networks in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and other major cities. The technology advancement would likely enhance internet accessibility in rural areas, further increasing the country’s internet user base.

In 2025, China reported adding ***million new users to its massive **** billion internet population. The first half-year data in 2024 revealed that nearly *****of the new internet users were between 10 and 18 years old, while a ***** were older adults aged above 50 years. The largest online community In 2024, China accounted for about ********* of the *** billion internet users worldwide. However, compared to its total population, China’s internet penetration rate is lower than in other Asian countries. Penetration rates in both South Korea and Japan were significantly higher. The market potential Internet usage in China is further characterized by a large regional discrepancy. In rural regions, the internet access rate is much lower than the national level. On the other side, the Chinese market is a mobile-first nation. Since 2014, more Chinese people have accessed the internet via mobile devices than computers. The number of mobile internet users in China increased steadily over the previous decade.

The Internet’s history has just begun

The Internet’s history goes back some decades by now – email has been around since the 1960s, file sharing since at least the 1970s, and TCP/IP was standardized in 1982. But it was the creation of the world wide web in 1989 that revolutionized our history of communication. The inventor of the world wide web was the English scientist Tim Berners-Lee who created a system to share information through a network of computers. At the time he was working for the European physics laboratory CERN in the Swiss Alps.

Here I want to look at the global expansion of the Internet since then.

This chart shows the share and number of people that are using the Internet, which in these statistics refers to all those who have used the Internet in the last 3 months.1

The chart starts in 1990, still, one year before Berners-Lee released the first web browser and before the very first website was online (the site of CERN, which is still online). At that time very few computers around the world were connected to a network; estimates for 1990 suggest that only half of a per cent of the world population were online.

As the chart shows, this started to change in the 1990s, at least in some parts of the world: By the year 2000 almost half of the population in the US was accessing information through the internet. But across most of the world, the internet had not yet had much influence – 93% in the East Asia and Pacific region and 99% in South Asia and in Sub-Saharan Africa were still offline in 2000. At the time of the Dot-com-crash, less than 7% of the world was online.

15 years later, in 2016, three-quarters (76%) of people in the US were online and during these years countries from many parts of the world caught up: in Malaysia, 79% used the internet; in Spain and Singapore 81%; in France 86%; in South Korea and Japan 93%; in Denmark and Norway 97%; and Iceland tops the ranking with 98% of the population online.2

At the other end of the spectrum, there are still countries where almost nothing has changed since 1990. In the very poorest countries – including Eritrea, Somalia, Guinea-Bissau, the Central African Republic, Niger, and Madagascar – fewer than 5% are online. And at the very bottom is North Korea, where the country’s oppressive regime restricts access to the walled-off North Korean intranet Kwangmyong and access to the global internet is only granted to a very small elite.

But the overarching trend globally – and, as the chart shows, in all world regions – is clear: more and more people are online every year. The speed with which the world is changing is incredibly fast. On any day in the last 5 years, there were on average 640,000 people online for the first time.3

This was 27,000 every hour.

For those who are online most days, it is easy to forget how young the internet still is. The timeline below the chart reminds you how recent websites and technologies became available that are integrated into the everyday lives of millions: In the 1990s there was no Wikipedia, Twitter launched in 2006, and Our World in Data is only 4 years old (and look how many people have joined since then4).

And while many of us cannot imagine our lives without the services that the internet provides, the key message for me from this overview of the global history of the internet is that we are still in the very early stages of the internet. It was only in 2017 that half of the world population was online, and in 2018 it is therefore still the case that close to half of the world population is not using the internet.5

The internet has already changed the world, but the big changes that the Internet will bring still lie ahead and its history has just begun.

Content

The data consists of the Internet and the Evolution of Broadband around the world.

Acknowledgements

The Data is collected from Our World In Data

Inspiration

What share of people is online? How many internet users does each country have?

E-commerce Platform Market Outlook

According to our latest research, the global E-commerce Platform market size reached USD 10.9 billion in 2024, reflecting robust expansion driven by digital transformation initiatives across industries. The market is projected to grow at a remarkable CAGR of 14.2% from 2025 to 2033, with the total market value expected to reach USD 32.2 billion by 2033. This impressive growth trajectory is fueled by increasing internet penetration, rising consumer preference for online shopping, and the proliferation of mobile commerce, which are collectively reshaping the global retail landscape.

One of the primary growth drivers for the E-commerce Platform market is the rapid shift of businesses from traditional brick-and-mortar models to online channels. Organizations across the retail, electronics, and fashion sectors are adopting sophisticated e-commerce solutions to enhance their digital presence and deliver seamless customer experiences. The adoption of cloud-based platforms is particularly significant, offering scalability, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the integration of advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning within e-commerce platforms is enabling personalized shopping experiences, efficient inventory management, and dynamic pricing strategies, all of which contribute to increased sales and customer retention.

Another critical factor propelling the growth of the E-commerce Platform market is the surge in mobile commerce. With the widespread use of smartphones and the advent of high-speed internet connectivity, consumers are increasingly shopping via mobile devices. E-commerce platforms are responding by optimizing their interfaces for mobile users, implementing responsive design, and launching dedicated mobile applications. This mobile-first approach is particularly vital in emerging economies, where mobile devices are often the primary means of accessing the internet. Additionally, the integration of secure payment gateways and digital wallets is enhancing consumer confidence in online transactions, further boosting market growth.

The expansion of cross-border e-commerce is also a substantial growth catalyst for the E-commerce Platform market. Businesses are leveraging e-commerce platforms to tap into international markets, overcoming geographical barriers and reaching new customer segments. Platforms are increasingly offering multi-currency support, multilingual interfaces, and localized logistics solutions to facilitate seamless cross-border transactions. This trend is particularly evident in regions such as Asia Pacific and Europe, where consumers are demonstrating a growing appetite for international brands and products. The ability of e-commerce platforms to support global operations, manage compliance, and ensure efficient fulfillment is a key differentiator in this competitive landscape.

From a regional perspective, Asia Pacific is emerging as the largest and fastest-growing market for e-commerce platforms, driven by the rapid digitalization of economies like China, India, and Southeast Asian countries. North America remains a mature market, characterized by high internet penetration and advanced technological adoption, while Europe is witnessing steady growth due to rising consumer confidence in online shopping and supportive regulatory frameworks. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are also experiencing notable growth, albeit from a smaller base, as businesses and consumers increasingly embrace digital commerce. Overall, the global e-commerce platform market is poised for sustained expansion, underpinned by technological advancements, changing consumer behaviors, and the ongoing evolution of the retail sector.

Component Analysis

The E-commerce Platform market is segmented by component into Solution and Services. The solution segment comprises core platform offerings such as website builders, shopping cart software, content management systems, and p

IPv6-as-a-Service Market Outlook

According to our latest research, the Global IPv6-as-a-Service market size was valued at $1.1 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $5.8 billion by 2033, expanding at a CAGR of 20.2% during 2024–2033. The primary driver fueling this robust growth is the accelerating exhaustion of IPv4 addresses, compelling enterprises and service providers to adopt IPv6 for future-proofing their networks. The increasing proliferation of connected devices and the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem are further necessitating scalable and flexible IP address management solutions, making IPv6-as-a-Service an essential component of digital transformation strategies worldwide.

Regional Outlook

North America currently holds the largest share in the global IPv6-as-a-Service market, accounting for approximately 38% of the total revenue in 2024. This dominance is attributed to the region’s mature technological landscape, high internet penetration rates, and early adoption of IPv6 among enterprises, government bodies, and internet service providers. The presence of global technology giants, advanced network infrastructure, and proactive regulatory policies supporting IPv6 transition have further solidified North America’s leadership. Investments in cloud computing, 5G deployment, and IoT solutions are significantly boosting the demand for IPv6-as-a-Service, while initiatives led by the US government and Canadian authorities to modernize public sector IT infrastructure continue to drive market momentum in the region.

Asia Pacific emerges as the fastest-growing region in the IPv6-as-a-Service market, with a projected CAGR of 24.7% from 2024 to 2033. Rapid digitalization across emerging economies such as China, India, and Southeast Asian countries, coupled with the exponential rise in internet-connected devices, is fueling the demand for scalable IP address solutions. Government mandates, especially in China and India, are pushing for the widespread adoption of IPv6 to accommodate their massive user bases and support burgeoning smart city initiatives. The region’s thriving telecom sector, heavy investments in cloud infrastructure, and the expansion of 5G networks are significant growth drivers, positioning Asia Pacific as a critical growth engine for the global IPv6-as-a-Service market.

In emerging economies across Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, the adoption of IPv6-as-a-Service is gaining momentum, albeit at a slower pace due to infrastructural challenges and limited awareness. However, increasing internet penetration, government-led digital transformation programs, and the gradual shift of enterprises toward cloud-based solutions are creating new opportunities. Localized demand for secure, scalable, and cost-effective network management solutions is prompting service providers to tailor offerings to regional needs. Nevertheless, inconsistent regulatory frameworks and budget constraints remain challenges to widespread adoption, necessitating targeted policy reforms and capacity-building initiatives to unlock the full potential of IPv6-as-a-Service in these markets.

Report Scope

The impact of urban e-commerce transformation on economic resilience can help a country improve its ability to resist risks and seize the initiative in economic development. This study examines the impact of the construction of the National E-commerce Demonstration City (NEDC) on economic resilience using the staggered different-in-differences approach using a sample of 282 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2020. The results show NEDC construction significantly strengthens urban economic resilience. This result remains robust after undergoing placebo test, exclusion of other policies interference, and examining endogeneity. Furthermore, noteworthy heterogeneity exists in the effect of NEDC construction on urban economic resilience, particularly in eastern, developed regions, and cities with high Internet penetration. The mechanisms analysis indicates that NEDC construction enhances urban economic resilience by expanding the scale of urban employment and enhancing market dynamism. Overall, this study refines the causal relationship between e-commerce development and urban economic resilience, providing empirical evidence and policy insights for China and other countries to enhance urban economic resilience and stabilize macroeconomic fluctuations.

Clothing E-Commerce Platform Market Outlook

The global clothing e-commerce platform market size is expected to grow significantly, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 14.8% from 2023 to 2032. In 2023, the market is valued at approximately USD 534 billion and is projected to reach around USD 1,440 billion by 2032. This growth is driven by increasing internet penetration, rising consumer preference for online shopping, and advancements in technology that improve the online shopping experience.

One of the primary growth factors for the clothing e-commerce platform market is the increasing internet penetration and smartphone usage worldwide. More consumers have access to the internet and mobile devices, making online shopping more convenient and accessible. Additionally, the proliferation of social media platforms has created new marketing channels for e-commerce businesses, allowing them to reach a wider audience and drive sales growth. The convenience of shopping from home, coupled with the ability to compare prices and read reviews, has further fueled the adoption of online shopping.

Another significant factor contributing to the market growth is the advancements in technology that enhance the online shopping experience. Innovations such as virtual try-on, augmented reality (AR), personalized recommendations, and efficient logistics have made online shopping more appealing to consumers. These technological advancements not only improve customer satisfaction but also increase the likelihood of repeat purchases. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in e-commerce platforms allows for better inventory management, targeted marketing, and improved customer service.

The rise of digital payment methods has also played a crucial role in the growth of the clothing e-commerce platform market. The increasing adoption of digital wallets, online banking, and other electronic payment methods has made transactions more secure and convenient for consumers. This shift towards digital payments is supported by the growing trust in online payment systems and the efforts of e-commerce platforms to provide multiple payment options. Furthermore, the ease of processing refunds and returns has also contributed to the growing acceptance of online shopping.

From a regional perspective, the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest growth in the clothing e-commerce platform market. This growth is driven by the large and rapidly growing population, increasing internet penetration, and rising disposable incomes in countries such as China, India, and Southeast Asian nations. North America and Europe are also significant markets due to the high adoption of technology and well-established e-commerce infrastructure. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are emerging markets with substantial growth potential, driven by improving internet connectivity and growing consumer awareness of e-commerce platforms.

The concept of Online Clothing Dress Rental is gaining traction as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional clothing purchases. This model allows consumers to rent high-quality and designer dresses for special occasions at a fraction of the retail price. By offering a wide range of styles and sizes, online dress rental platforms cater to diverse fashion needs while promoting a circular economy. This approach not only reduces the environmental impact of fast fashion but also provides consumers with the flexibility to experiment with different styles without the commitment of ownership. As more consumers become conscious of their environmental footprint, the demand for online clothing dress rental services is expected to grow, contributing to the overall expansion of the clothing e-commerce platform market.

Business Model Analysis

The clothing e-commerce platform market can be segmented by business model into B2B (Business-to-Business), B2C (Business-to-Consumer), and C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer). The B2C segment holds the largest market share, driven by the increasing preference of consumers to shop online for their clothing needs. The B2C model allows businesses to directly reach consumers, offering a wide variety of products, competitive prices, and enhanced shopping experiences. Additionally, the convenience of home delivery and easy return policies

As of October 2025, 6.04 billion individuals worldwide were internet users, which amounted to 73.2 percent of the global population. Of this total, 5.66 billion, or 68.7 percent of the world's population, were social media users. Global internet usage Connecting billions of people worldwide, the internet is a core pillar of the modern information society. Northern Europe ranked first among worldwide regions by the share of the population using the internet in 2025. In the Netherlands, Norway, and Saudi Arabia, 99 percent of the population used the internet as of February 2025. North Korea was at the opposite end of the spectrum, with virtually no internet usage penetration among the general population, ranking last worldwide. Eastern Asia was home to the largest number of online users worldwide—over 1.34 billion at the latest count. Southern Asia ranked second, with around 1.2 billion internet users. China, India, and the United States rank ahead of other countries worldwide by the number of internet users. Worldwide internet user demographics As of 2024, the share of female internet users worldwide was 65 percent, five percent less than that of men. Gender disparity in internet usage was bigger in African countries, with around a 10-percent difference. Worldwide regions, like the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe, showed a smaller usage gap between these two genders. As of 2024, global internet usage was higher among individuals between 15 and 24 years old across all regions, with young people in Europe representing the most considerable usage penetration, 98 percent. In comparison, the worldwide average for the age group of 15 to 24 years was 79 percent. The income level of the countries was also an essential factor for internet access, as 93 percent of the population of the countries with high income reportedly used the internet, as opposed to only 27 percent of the low-income markets.

As of October 2025, Northern Europe recorded the highest internet penetration rate worldwide, with 97.7 percent of its population using the internet. Western Europe followed with a rate of 95.1 percent. Globally, the average internet adoption rate stood at approximately 73.2 percent. Global internet use The ongoing development of telecommunication networks and infrastructure has directly impacted internet penetration on a global scale. Thanks to advancing mobile technology and the continuous modernization of previously less-developed regions, the number of internet users worldwide has been on the rise in recent years, reaching 5.45 billion as of July 2024. In the world-wide-web, Google's Chrome still holds the largest market share for internet browsers, roughly 65.2 percent of the total market as of August 2024, followed by Apple's Safari at nearly 19 percent. Majority of global internet users are in Asia Asia has the most extensive internet user base – more than an estimated 2.9 billion internet users in this region alone – with East Asia accounting for most of this share. Despite this region's large volume of internet users, Asia is far from being a leader regarding online penetration. Eastern Asia, for instance, had an online penetration rate of 75.3 percent as of April 2023.

As of October 2025, there were 449 data centers in China, the most of any country or territory in the Asia-Pacific region. China had the fourth-highest number of data centers worldwide. Data centers in China As the leading market in public cloud in the Asia-Pacific region and an aspiring global leader in artificial intelligence, China has placed considerable weight on data center infrastructure, which underlies most of the advances in internet technology. The country dominates the global data center market in terms of revenue, trailing only the United States. In addition, China accounted for around 16 percent of the worldwide hyperscale data center capacity in the 4th quarter of 2023. The data center segment revenue in China is expected to have an annual growth rate of around 8.3 percent between 2025 and 2029. The outlook of data centers in the Asia-Pacific region The pandemic has accelerated enterprise digitalization across the Asia-Pacific region, driving a surge in demand for computational power. This trend, coupled with advancements in artificial intelligence and the region's significant population growth, points to a promising future for data centers in the region. For instance, the revenue in the data center market in India was forecast to grow further and is set to reach about 11.85 billion U.S. dollars by 2029. Meanwhile, economic growth and increasing internet penetration rates in Southeast Asian countries have been the primary drivers for data center demand growth in the subregion.

As of June 2025, China reported having **** million new mobile internet users from the previous year, totaling **** billion people having access to the internet via mobile devices. A mobile-first country Mobile internet refers to accessing the internet via any mobile device connected to a wireless network. China’s registered internet users account for a ***** of the world’s total, and its mobile internet users almost doubled in the last decade. According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the share of Chinese users accessing the internet via mobile phone has already surpassed that via PC since ****. Smartphone usage in China The rapid growth in smartphone and tablet user numbers has boosted mobile internet use in China. The projections indicate that over ** percent of the Chinese population will possess a smartphone by 2026. Chinese users spent on average over ***** hours each day on mobile internet. Video streaming apps and social networking were the most commonly visited services, accounting for ** percent of the user time.

The statistic describes the distribution of the international hot topics that interested Chinese internet users between 2016 and 2017, by region of issue. During this period, around ** percent of Chinese online users were interested in the topics related to Asia, for instance, the political relations among Asian countries.

Throughout the past few years, there has been a steady progression in rural China’s internet infrastructure. By June 2025, the internet penetration rate in rural areas in the country stood at **** percent, yet, remained lower than the national level. The internet coverage in urban regions reached **** percent. The leaps in Chinese telecommunications Since the 1990s, China has seen a rapid development of telecommunications, mainly driven by the introduction of fiber-optic systems and digital technologies. The Chinese government had been keen on building more telecommunication infrastructure. Between 2014 and 2023, the number of 4G mobile base stations saw a dramatic increase. The internet connection has been extensively expanded to public places. It is also worth noting that the download speed of fixed-line broadband in China has been upgraded substantially. Unleash the rural internet power Yet among the *** million rural population in China, a ***** did not have access to the internet in 2025. To provide more affordable internet services, measures have been carried out in Chinese villages and small towns to reduce service rates and extend the broadband connection. As of June 2025, around **** percent of internet users were living in rural China. With the enhancement of internet coverage in the countryside, the Chinese online community will see plenty of growth.