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.

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 55 percent in 2025, 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.

High Frequency Indicator: The dataset contains year-, quarter- and state-wise compiled data from the year 2014 to till date on the total number of broadband and narrowband internet subscribers in the rural and urban areas of India

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 2024, there were *** 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 *** 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 ** thousand internet-equipped gram panchayats. These factors also led to an overall spike in the internet penetration rates across the country. From just over a ** percent internet penetration rate in 2015, India reached almost ** percent in 2022. A perspective on the numbers Although these figures seem relatively low, it indicated that about *** million would be internet users by January 2023. This ranked India second in terms of active internet users across the world that same year.

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 ** percent of internet usage in India. Gender and internet Among the total internet users in the country, it was found that only about ** percent were female users. While this was expected to change to ** percent male users and ** percent female users by 2020, it still showed a gender gap in 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 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

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.

In financial year 2024, the total number of internet connections in India reached close to 954 million. The connectivity has more than tripled since 2015, in comparison to 302.33 million connections. Although around 70% of India's population lives in rural areas, the number of connections remains higher in urban areas compared to rural areas. In 2024, there were 556 million internet connections in urban areas.

India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers data was reported at 970,160,000.000 Unit in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 971,500,000.000 Unit for Sep 2024. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers data is updated quarterly, averaging 665,310,000.000 Unit from Dec 2013 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 971,500,000.000 Unit in Sep 2024 and a record low of 238,710,000.000 Unit in Dec 2013. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers 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. Internet Subscribers: Total (series ID: 359243527) includes all the mode of access for Internet where includes Wired and Wireless which covers Fixed Wireless (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Point-to-Point Radio & VSAT) and Mobile Wireless (Phone + Dongle). [COVID-19-IMPACT]

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

As of the third quarter of 2024, finding information was the leading reason to use the internet in India, as reported by over 52 percent of its internet users. Staying in touch with friends and family was the next leading reason. Indian internet users devoted nearly seven hours a day to using the internet during the surveyed period. Expanding digital landscape India's internet user base has grown significantly and is expected to reach over 1.6 billion by 2050. This expansion is driven by increased mobile connectivity, with smartphone users nearly matching the total number of internet users. Affordable mobile data and the utility of smartphones have contributed to India's mobile-centric internet access. However, internet penetration varies widely across regions, with Delhi leading at 68 percent and Odisha lagging behind. Challenges ahead Despite the large user base, India faces challenges in ensuring equitable internet access. Gender disparities persist, particularly in rural areas, and older adults have lower usage rates due to literacy and technological barriers. India's internet freedom score of 50 out of 100 in 2024 indicates a “partly free” status, reflecting government-imposed restrictions and censorship. However, the average monthly data consumption reached 24.1 gigabytes per user in 2023, driven by online education, remote work, and increased streaming content consumption.

This statistic shows the total number of internet users in India from ********* to *********. The total number of internal users on a total basis in ********* was *** million and it is projected to reach around *** million by the end of 2015. The number of monthly active internet users in India is set to reach *** million in *************.

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 ** million users. The total number of internet subscribers in urban India during the measured time period was over *** million. The countries with the highest number of internet users as of January 2023 can be found here.

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.

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.

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 November 2024, Google.com held the top spot in India's website rankings, averaging over 9.11 billion monthly visits. YouTube ranked second, with a traffic of 5.01 billion visits, while social platforms Instagram.com and Facebook.com followed with 765 million and 649 million monthly visits each. Internet penetration In the past decade, India has witnessed a remarkable transformation in its digital landscape. This substantial expansion has resulted in extensive digital connectivity, with more than half of India's 1.4 billion citizens now enjoying internet access. India ranked 52nd on the Digital Quality of Life Index in 2023, which revealed electronic infrastructure as one of the country’s strengths. YouTube in India As of 2025, India had the world’s largest YouTube user base, figuring over 491 million users. The video platform caters to the nation’s tech-savvy denizens as an educational resource and a source of entertainment. Moreover, YouTube has evolved into a dynamic space for digital marketing, especially harnessing the consumer base segment aged below 32.

India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: Bharti Airtel Limited data was reported at 133,941,589.000 Unit in Dec 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 126,936,427.000 Unit for Sep 2018. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: Bharti Airtel Limited data is updated quarterly, averaging 1,392,864.000 Unit from Jun 2005 (Median) to Dec 2018, with 53 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 133,941,589.000 Unit in Dec 2018 and a record low of 155,342.000 Unit in Jun 2005. India Internet Statistics: Number of Subscribers: Bharti Airtel 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.

The number of mobile broadband connections per 100 inhabitants in India was forecast to continuously increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 16.5 connections (+25.08 percent). After the fourteenth consecutive increasing year, the mobile broadband penetration is estimated to reach 82.25 connections and therefore a new peak in 2029. Notably, the number of mobile broadband connections per 100 inhabitants of was continuously increasing over the past years.Mobile broadband connections include cellular connections with a download speed of at least 256 kbit/s (without satellite or fixed-wireless connections). Cellular Internet-of-Things (IoT) or machine-to-machine (M2M) connections are excluded. 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 mobile broadband connections per 100 inhabitants in countries like Pakistan and Sri Lanka.