In 2023, India had over 1.2 billion internet users across the country. This figure was projected to grow to over 1.6 billion users by 2050, indicating a big market potential in internet services for the South Asian country. In fact, India was ranked as the second largest online market worldwide in 2022, second only to China. The number of internet users was estimated to increase in both urban as well as rural regions, indicating a dynamic growth in access to internet.

Mobile connectivity

Of the total internet users in the country, a majority of the people access the internet via their mobile phones. There were nearly the same amount of smartphone users as internet users across the country. Cheap availability of mobile data, a growing smartphone user base in the country along with the utility value of smartphones compared to desktops and tablets are some of the factors contributing to the mobile heavy internet access in India.

Growth is on the cards

Despite the large number of internet users in the country, the internet penetration levels took longer to catch up equally. At the same time, the number of women who have access to internet is much lower than men in the country, and the bias is even more evident in rural India. Similarly, internet usage is lower among older adults in the country due to internet literacy and technological know-how. By encouraging internet accessibility among marginalized groups including women, older people and rural inhabitants in the country, India’s digital footprint has significant headroom to grow.

The internet penetration rate in India rose over 52 percent in 2024, from about 14 percent in 2014. Although these figures seem relatively low, it meant that more than half of the population of 1.4 billion people had internet access that year. This also ranked the country second in the world in terms of active internet users. Internet availability and accessibility By 2021 the number of internet connections across the country tripled with urban areas accounting for a higher density of connections than rural regions. Despite incredibly low internet prices, internet usage in India has yet to reach its full potential. Lack of awareness and a tangible gender gap lie at the heart of the matter, with affordable mobile handsets and mobile internet connections presenting only a partial solution. Reliance Jio was the popular choice among Indian internet subscribers, offering them wider coverage at cheap rates. Digital living Home to one of the largest bases of netizens in the world, India is abuzz with internet activities being carried out every moment of every day. From information and research to shopping and entertainment to living in smart homes, Indians have welcomed digital living with open arms. Among these, social media usage was one of the most common reasons for accessing the internet.

The number of internet users in India was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 262.9 million users (+27.73 percent). After the fifteenth consecutive increasing year, the number of users is estimated to reach 1.2 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 Nepal and Pakistan.

As a country with 1,433 million population, in 2020, India has around 622 million active internet users. It was estimated that in 2025, number of active internet users would surpass 900 million in the country. Although there was a gap between the percentage of urban and rural active internet users, it has been narrowing down with development.

Forecast: Total Internet Users in India 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

While Indians between 12 and 34 years dominated internet use from 2013 to 2019 with about 65 percent of the total market, this was projected to change by 2025. Between 2019 and 2025, it was estimated that age group 35 years and older would make up 66 percent of internet usage in India.

Gender and internet

Among the total internet users in the country, it was found that around 70 percent users were male and only about 30 percent were female users. While this was expected to change to 60 percent male users and 40 percent female users by 2020, it still showed a gender gap of internet accessibility in the south-Asian country. While several factors lead to this digital gender gap, economic and socio-cultural barriers stand out as the most compelling reasons.

Older Indians part of digitalization

The median age of India’s population was around 27 years in 2015, echoing the range of the country’s majority internet user base. The estimated shift, however, in the years to come would be the successful efforts towards digitalizing India. If done right, this would propel older adults to adopt and master new media technologies in their daily activities beyond social media and communication, including the use of financial services.

Forecast: Total Internet Users in India 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

India’s digital journey is one of exuberance. The country had the world’s second-largest internet population at over 1.2 billion users in 2023. Of these, 1.05 billion users accessed the internet via their mobile phones. Estimates suggest that this figure would reach over 1.2 billion by 2050.

The path towards digital India

Mobile internet has been such a positive development in the country’s digital progress, that in 2019, over 73 percent of India’s total web traffic coming from mobile phones. But how did this come to be? Two main factors point to the sudden spike in mobile internet penetration in the south Asian country. Firstly, the increased availability of cheap smartphones since 2010 had created a fertile ground for digital adoption and literacy. Along with this, the Indian government understood the vitality of investments in its telecommunications sector and further opened the market with new telecom spectrum licenses.

Reliance Jio - the market disruptor

With this backdrop, in September 2016, Reliance Jio entered the Indian market, promising customers with cheap 4G, high speed data plans along with free voice calling. Within six months of its launch, the company had attracted over a 100 million customers and by the end of 2019, it had the highest wireless telecom subscriber base in India. Jio’s competitive pricing drove down the data pricing among other established telecom operators, leading to a cumulative growth in mobile internet accessibility as well as affordability.

India’s digital adoption has been driven by the rural heartland of the country, registering a high growth of internet users compared to their urban counterparts. In 2023, there were 442 million internet users in rural India, accounting for more than half the country's netizens. Bridging the internet gap This jump in rural internet penetration was largely owing to the increased availability of bandwidth, cheap data plans and various government initiatives under the Digital India campaign. As of 2022, over 181 thousand village and small-town councils, called Gram Panchayats, were equipped with internet access across India. Of these, Uttar Pradesh had the maximum connectivity in its rural areas with 38 thousand internet equipped gram panchayats. These factors also led to an overall spike in the internet penetration rates across the country. From just over 27 percent internet penetration rate in 2015, India reached almost 49 percent in 2022. A perspective on the numbers Although these figures seem relatively low, it indicated that about 692 million would be internet users by January 2023. This ranked India second in terms of active internet users across the world that same year.

Over 34 percent of the Indian population accessed the internet in 2017. This was a drastic increase from 7.5 percent in 2010. Despite the huge, yet-to-be utilized potential, India is already the second-largest online market worldwide.

India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corp Limited data was reported at 30.000 Unit in Dec 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 30.000 Unit for Sep 2018. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corp Limited data is updated quarterly, averaging 52.000 Unit from Mar 2003 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 62 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10,756.000 Unit in Dec 2005 and a record low of 10.000 Unit in Mar 2003. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corp Limited data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Transportation, Post and Telecom Sector – Table IN.TE041: Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: by Company.

India Internet: Subscribers: Wired data was reported at 21,420,000.000 Unit in Dec 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 21,250,000.000 Unit for Sep 2018. India Internet: Subscribers: Wired data is updated quarterly, averaging 20,760,000.000 Unit from Dec 2013 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21,670,000.000 Unit in Jun 2017 and a record low of 18,330,000.000 Unit in Dec 2013. India Internet: Subscribers: Wired data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.TE040: Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers.

The number of mobile internet users in India increased by 15.39 percent in 2020. A steady decline in new users is expected in the coming years with the growth rate for 2025 estimated at 5.14 percent.

Internet Usage: Device Vendor Market Share: Tablet: Kobo data was reported at 0.000 % in 05 Feb 2025. This stayed constant from the previous number of 0.000 % for 04 Feb 2025. Internet Usage: Device Vendor Market Share: Tablet: Kobo data is updated daily, averaging 0.000 % from Jan 2025 (Median) to 05 Feb 2025, with 9 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.060 % in 01 Feb 2025 and a record low of 0.000 % in 05 Feb 2025. Internet Usage: Device Vendor Market Share: Tablet: Kobo data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Statcounter Global Stats. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.SC.IU: Internet Usage: Device Vendor Market Share.

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.

India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: Wireless: Fixed Wireless data was reported at 440,000.000 Unit in Dec 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 830,000.000 Unit for Sep 2018. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: Wireless: Fixed Wireless data is updated quarterly, averaging 480,000.000 Unit from Dec 2013 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 830,000.000 Unit in Sep 2018 and a record low of 440,000.000 Unit in Dec 2018. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: Wireless: Fixed Wireless data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Transportation, Post and Telecom Sector – Table IN.TE040: Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers.

In 2016, 70 percent of Indian internet users were male while 30 percent were female users. This was estimated to change to 60 percent male users and 40 percent female users by 2020.

As of December 2023, the leading service area with the largest number internet subscribers in urban India was the nation's capital city, Delhi, with over 54 million users. The total number of internet subscribers in urban India during the measured time period was over 548 million.

The countries with the highest number of internet users as of January 2023 can be found here.

In 2022, the smartphone segment of the Indian e-commerce retail market accounted for 33 percent of the total market share in India. This was followed by electronics and appliances with a market share of just over 20 percent.

The internet boom

Reliance Retail leads the telecommunication revolution Supported by it’s subsidiary, Jio, founded in 2007 offering very cheap packages for mobile internet and sim cards. Competitors like Bharti Airtel could hardly keep up, but finally adapted, offering similarly cheap packages. Affordable internet made it attractive for all social groups to explore the possibilities of the world wide web. The digitalization of government services through the Indian government’s initiative for a digital India, further pushed the usage of internet in India.

From internet user to online shopper

The triumphant advance of the internet in India entailed not only a new means of communication but also new opportunities for the market. Alongside the expansion of internet usage, the penetration of online shoppers increased. Although cash-on-delivery was a popular means of payment for online shoppers, digital payment methods expanded. Another expansion was pushed by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Due to the nationwide lockdowns, contactless online shopping appeared to be a safe alternative.

According to a 2023 survey, 43 percent of internet users in urban India preferred using the Internet in English. Meanwhile, 57 percent of users accessed the internet in Indian languages, with Hindi being the most preferred language among them. Over 300 million internet users reside in the urban areas of India.