As of 2024, the estimated number of internet users worldwide was 5.5 billion, up from 5.3 billion in the previous year. This share represents 68 percent of the global population. Internet access around the world Easier access to computers, the modernization of countries worldwide, and increased utilization of smartphones have allowed people to use the internet more frequently and conveniently. However, internet penetration often pertains to the current state of development regarding communications networks. As of January 2023, there were approximately 1.05 billion total internet users in China and 692 million total internet users in the United States. Online activities Social networking is one of the most popular online activities worldwide, and Facebook is the most popular online network based on active usage. As of the fourth quarter of 2023, there were over 3.07 billion monthly active Facebook users, accounting for well more than half of the internet users worldwide. Connecting with family and friends, expressing opinions, entertainment, and online shopping are amongst the most popular reasons for internet usage.

The number of internet users globally will grow to 5.3 billion by 2023, according to the source. The compound annual growth rate for the whole period from 2018 to 2023 is six percent. The fastest expected growth from this period was in 2019, with 300 million new internet users and a growth rate of 7.7 percent from 2018.

As of 2023, India had **** billion internet users, more than any other country in the world. China ranked second, with **** billion Indians accessing the internet via any device. The United States followed with approximately *** million online users.

The statistic shows estimated internet data traffic per month in the United States from 2018 to 2023. In 2018, total internet data traffic was estimated to amount to 33.45 million exabytes per month.

As of 2025, approximately 93.1 percent of the United States' population accessed the internet, up from approximately 71 percent in 2013. The United States is one of the biggest online markets worldwide. Additionally, in 2025, over 322 million individuals in the country went online. Furthermore, social media apps were among the most popular category of mobile apps used in the market. Social media usage in the U.S. Social media usage in the United States has seen significant growth in recent years, amassing 310 million as of 2025. By the third quarter of 2024, internet users in the U.S. were spending around two hours on social media out of seven hours of internet usage. The most common activities among U.S. users include sending private messages and liking posts or following people, which highlights widespread engagement with social media platforms among internet users in the United States. TikTok surge in the U.S. TikTok continues to be one of the most popular social media platforms in the United States. As of February 2025, over 135 million individuals or 45 percent of internet users in the country used the social network. This surge in popularity is the result of user’s high engagement with short-form videos and quick entertainment in which TikTok managed to capture users’ attention. Users in the United States spent an average of 45 hours and 37 minutes monthly in 2023.

Among the selected Asia-Pacific countries, South Korea had the largest population share connected to mobile internet as of 2023, at 93 percent. In comparison, 23 percent of the population in Pakistan was connected to mobile internet in 2023.

According to a 2023 survey of internet users in the United States, 91 percent of users between 30 and 49 years regularly use a smartphone to go online. Young adults between 18 and 29 years ranked second with 89 percent. Laptops were the second most used device named by the respondents, enabling more than half of the respondents between 30 and 49 years to connect to the internet.

Almost a ******* of all fixed internet connections in the United States in 2023 were fiber connections. Fiber broadband services use fiber optic networks to offer superior speeds and reduced latency when compared to cable or DSL services.

As of February 2025, 5.56 billion individuals worldwide were internet users, which amounted to 67.9 percent of the global population. Of this total, 5.24 billion, or 63.9 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 20254. 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 ten 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 significant usage penetration, 98 percent. In comparison, the worldwide average for the age group 15–24 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.

Fixed broadband internet speeds are expected to increase by almost ** Mbps from 2020 to 2023, eventually reaching ***** Mbps. The compound annual growth rate for the whole period from 2018 to 2023 is ** percent.

As of February 2025, around 322 million people in the United States accessed the internet, making it one of the largest online markets worldwide. The country currently ranks third after China and India by the online audience size. Overview of internet usage in the United States The digital population in the United States has constantly increased in recent years. Among the most common reasons is the growing accessibility of broadband internet. A big part of the country's digital audience accesses the web via mobile phones. In 2024, the country saw an estimated 97.1 percent mobile internet user penetration. According to a 2024 survey, over 51 percent of U.S. women and 43 percent of men said it is important to them to have mobile internet access anywhere, at any time. Another 41 percent of respondents could not imagine their everyday life without the internet. Google and YouTube are the most visited websites in the country, while music, food, and drinks were the most discussed online topics. Internet usage demographics in the United States While some users can no longer imagine their life without the internet, others do not use it at all. According to 2021 data, 25 percent of U.S. adults 65 and older reported not using the internet. Despite this, online usage was strong across other age groups, especially young adults aged 18 to 49. This age group also reported the highest percentage of smartphone usage in the country as of 2023. Due to a persistent lack of connectivity in rural areas, more online users were based in urban areas of the U.S. than in the countryside.

In 2023, about 89.2 percent of the Argentinean population accessed the internet, a considerable increase when compared to only seven percent in 2000. Argentina is the third-largest internet market in Latin America, with an overall well-distributed and affordable service in its online landscape.

As of 2024, internet penetration in Europe was the highest among the world regions, growing from nearly 60 percent in 2009 to 91 percent in the latest measured year. Internet use in Africa was the lowest worldwide, at 38 percent. As of the same year, the total global internet reach translated to an estimated 4.9 billion internet users worldwide. Europe digital dominance Europe remains the most connected region globally, with steady growth in internet usage. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of internet users rose by 3 percent, and projected to reach 800 million by 2029. As of October 2024, Northern Europe was the first region worldwide by internet penetration, accounting for 97.5 percent penetration rate, while four of the six countries with the highest internet penetration rate worldwide are European, which highlights the region's dominance. Africa’s digital growth Internet use in Africa continues to grow, with mobile devices accounting for most of the web traffic across major African markets. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of internet users on the continent increased by nearly 13 percent, while the number of mobile internet users increased by 26 percent, reaching 331 million. As of January 2024, Morocco was leading with an impressive internet penetration rate of around 91 percent, while countries like Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa had the highest number of internet users in the continent.

As of 2023, 96 percent of Danish households had internet access. The figure increased from the previous year, when the internet penetration rate among households amounted to 95 percent. The highest share of Danish households with internet access in the period from 2007 to 2023 was in 2017, at 97 percent. In Denmark, 96.44 percent of people reported to have been online once a week as of 2022. Only three percent of the respondents had used the internet less often than once a week that year.  Daily internet users by age group   Daily internet usage in Denmark was most common among 25 to 34-year-olds in 2022, as 92 percent of people in that age group were using the Internet on a daily basis. On the contrary, the corresponding figure for respondents between 45 and 54 years, was slightly lower, amounting to 86 percent.  Internet devices in Nordic households   Within the Nordic countries, Norwegians seemed to have the highest number of devices with internet accessper household, as of 2018. Second in the ranking was Sweden, followed by Finland. Danes had the fewest internet devices per household that year. Nevertheless, a Danish household would still have just under seven devices with internet access.

A survey conducted in 2023 found that **** percent of households in Colombia had access to the Internet. The country has a gap in its internet penetration which, despite decreasing, has ** percent of respondents residing in capital cities having access to the web against **** percent of those living in dispersed villages and rural centers. Valle and Bogotá had the highest penetration rates, while less than ** percent of households in the departments of Chocó, Vaupés, and Vichada had access to the Internet.

The share of population using the internet in France amounted to 86.8 percent in 2023. Between 1990 and 2023, the share rose by 86.75 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

In 2023, around ***** percent of Ecuador's population accessed the internet, a decrease of around *** percentage points from the **** percent registered in the previous year. Despite the internet penetration rates in Andean countries having increased throughout the years, Ecuardor's official last access rate stood below the average Latin American rate.

In the third quarter of 2023, consumers in Norway were the top purchasers of digital content. Whether it is movies, music, streaming services, etc., nearly ** percent of Norwegian internet users purchased this type of content in the past month. Mexican and Chilean consumers ranked second and third, at **** and **** percent respectively. Digital content market Between 2023 and 2027, the revenue from media and digital content is expected to soar, with consumers projected to spend about **** trillion U.S. dollars on services with recurring payments. This growth is indicative of the increasing reliance on digital platforms for entertainment and information. Furthermore, the shift towards subscription-based models for digital content underscores the evolving consumer preferences and the potential for sustained growth in this sector. Different products In the third quarter of 2023, approximately **% of global internet users had paid monthly for movie and series streaming services, while over **% had done the same for music streaming and download services. This data underscores the specific preferences of consumers in terms of digital content, with streaming services emerging as a particularly popular choice for expenditure.

As of September 2023, 96 percent of female individuals in the United States said they used the internet. This percentage is higher than that of their male counterparts, 93 percent.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2023, ** percent of female respondents used a smartphone to go online, compared to ** percent of male respondents. Overall, around ** percent of respondents said they used Smart TV to connect to the internet. Desktop computers and game consoles were used by ** percent and ** percent of the respondents, respectively.