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.

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.

How many people use social media? Social media usage is one of the most popular online activities. In 2024, over **** ******* people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to over *** billion in 2029. Who uses social media? Social networking is one of the most popular digital activities worldwide and it is no surprise that social networking penetration across all regions is constantly increasing. As of January 2023, the global social media usage rate stood at ** percent. This figure is anticipated to grow as lesser developed digital markets catch up with other regions when it comes to infrastructure development and the availability of cheap mobile devices. In fact, most of social media’s global growth is driven by the increasing usage of mobile devices. Mobile-first market Eastern Asia topped the global ranking of mobile social networking penetration, followed by established digital powerhouses such as the Americas and Northern Europe. How much time do people spend on social media? Social media is an integral part of daily internet usage. On average, internet users spend *** minutes per day on social media and messaging apps, an increase of ** minutes since 2015. On average, internet users in Latin America had the highest average time spent per day on social media. What are the most popular social media platforms? Market leader Facebook was the first social network to surpass *** billion registered accounts and currently boasts approximately *** billion monthly active users, making it the most popular social network worldwide. In June 2023, the top social media apps in the Apple App Store included mobile messaging apps WhatsApp and Telegram Messenger, as well as the ever-popular app version of Facebook.

The above statistic gives information on the average duration of daily internet usage worldwide as of the first quarter of 2019, sorted by age group and device. During the survey period, it was found that the average duration of daily mobile internet usage among internet users aged 25 to 34 years amounted to 3 hours and 45 minutes.

In 2019, 90.4 percent of households in Colorado used a broadband internet connection at home. Washington, Utah, and Colorado were the only three states with over 90 percent of households having a broadband connection at home.

According to the forecast, in 2029, the number of monthly active internet users in Poland is projected to reach ***** million individuals. To compare, in 2024, the user count was estimated at ***** million. Connected population In modern life, where going online is at a person’s fingertips anytime they want, it is unthinkable to live without the internet. Therefore, it is no surprise that in 2018, a total share of ** percent of Polish households had access to the virtual world. Out of this, ** percent had broadband internet access. When it comes to the reason for not having internet access among Poles, they decided to opt-out from being connected as there was simply no need to have it. Mobile Internet kingdom Mobile phones account for more than half of the country’s internet usage, with the mobile internet on the phone figuring as the preferred access type for the majority of Poles. For those users, the predominant type of mobile internet access was subscription or top-up. In 2019, the most popular mobile apps categories among Poles aged 16 to 64 were social networking applications, followed by chat applications.

This graph shows the percentage of adult internet users in the United Sates since 2000, sorted by educational background. In 2019, 84 percent of high school graduates used the internet at least occasionally.

The number of monthly active internet users in Russia is projected to increase continuously until 2027, when it is expected to reach ***** million. However, in the two subsequent years, the online population of the country is forecast to decrease slightly. The data includes monthly active users of any age who use the internet via any device in the country. Mobile internet usage in Russia In 2024, of the ***** million internet users in Russia, around ** percent, or ***** million, were mobile internet users. Unlike the overall internet penetration rate, Russia's mobile internet penetration is predicted to grow over the entire period until 2029 and reach **** percent in that year. Desktop internet usage in Russia Over half of the internet users in Russia employed desktop devices for surfing the web, visiting social networks, and checking emails. However, desktop appliances were less frequently employed gadgets when compared to mobile devices. Only **** percent of internet users went online exclusively from PCs and laptops. The older population used them for the largest amount of time of all user age groups.

Since 2013, global mobile internet usage has grown significantly, much to the detriment of PC and laptop internet access. As of 2019, internet users worldwide spent a daily average of 3 hours and 23 minutes online via mobile and only 3 hours and 27 minutes via PC/laptop.

This statistic depicts the results of a survey on internet usage frequency in EU 28 countries in 2019. During the survey period, it was found that ** percent of responding Europeans aged 15 years and older stated that they use the internet every day or almost every day.

The population share with mobile internet access in Poland was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total **** percentage points. After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the mobile internet penetration is estimated to reach ***** percent and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the population share with mobile internet access of was continuously increasing over the past years.The penetration rate refers to the share of the total population having access to the internet via a mobile broadband connection.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 *** 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).

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.

As of November 2019, 67.2 percent of the African American population in the United States were living in households with internet access. In contrast, 76.9 percent of the white U.S. population had online access at home.

In 2023, ***** million people in Germany stated they used the internet constantly, almost all the time. ***** million did so several times a day. Both of these figures are an increase from the year before, demonstrating the increasing popularity and dependency on the internet. The Allensbach Market and Advertising Media Analysis (Allensbacher Markt- und Werbeträgeranalyse or AWA in German) determines attitudes, consumer habits and media usage of the population in Germany on a broad statistical basis.

The internet penetration rate in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) exceeded ** percent in 2023, having increased by ***** percentage points compared to the previous year. The

As of August 2019, over ** percent of Taiwanese respondents aged above ****** stated that they had accessed the internet before. The average number of digital devices ownership of internet users increased drastically in Taiwan over the past two years.

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 July 2025, 68.7 percent of the global population accessed the internet. This figure has increased significantly in recent years, with only 53 percent of the global population using the internet in 2018. As of the measured month, internet users worldwide were around 5.65 billion. Where do people use the internet the most? Northern Europe has the most comprehensive internet coverage in the world. According to January 2025 data, nearly 98 percent of the population of this part of Europe went online. Europe’s western part ranked second among other world regions, with around 95 percent of internet penetration. Southern Asia, as well as Western, Middle, and Eastern Africa ranked lower than the worldwide average of nearly 68 percent. There is a different picture when it comes to the number of internet users in the world. As of January 2025, China had the highest number of online users, amounting to 1.1 billion, followed by India, with 806 million users. What do people do online? The internet nowadays is one of the main sources of information for the average user in 2025. Accordingly, nearly 63 percent of adults worldwide, when asked about the most common reasons to go online, said they did so to find information. Almost the same share of respondents said they stayed in touch with friends and family via the internet. Additionally, 55 percent of them said they received news updates online.

The number of internet users in South Korea was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.9 million users (+1.88 percent). After the seventh consecutive increasing year, the number of users is estimated to reach 48.79 million users and therefore a new peak in 2029. 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 information concerning Singapore and Malaysia.

As of 2024, the share of the male population in the world that used the internet was 70 percent, compared to 65 percent of the female population. In 2019, the online usage rate for women was 63 percent, while the internet penetration among male users was 62 percent. The usage gap between the two groups was consistent throughout the research, five to seven percent.