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Global Internet usage

Estimates of how many people use the Internet

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
3 min read
Source updated August 28, 2026

Global Internet usage refers to the number of people who use the Internet worldwide.

As of 2025, an estimated 6 billion people worldwide were using the Internet, representing approximately 74 percent of the global population. This figure shows continued growth compared with the previous year's estimate of around 5.8 billion users. Despite this progress, significant disparities remain with about 2.2 billion people still offline, underscoring persistent digital divides related to economic development, affordability and infrastructure. Reports on global connectivity emphasize the need for expanded digital infrastructure, affordable services and digital skills training that ensures the expanding Internet access benefits a broader range of population worldwide.

01Internet users

As of 2025, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that approximately 6 billion people, or 74% of the global population, are using the Internet. This reflects a significant increase from 60% in 2020, with an estimated 1.3 billion individuals coming online during that five-year period. Despite this steady growth, a "digital divide" remains, leaving 2.2 billion people offline. The gap is particularly stark in low-income countries, where only 23% of the population uses the Internet, compared to 94% in high-income economies. This disparity in "meaningful connectivity" is increasingly defined by differences in connection speed, affordability, and digital skills.

Worldwide Internet users
2005201020172023
World population (billions) 6.5 6.9 7.4 8.0
Worldwide 16% 30% 48% 67%
In developing world 8% 21% 41.3% 60%
In developed world 51% 67% 81% 93%
Internet users by region
Region 2005 2010 2017 2023
Africa 2% 10% 21.8% 37%
Americas 36% 49% 65.9% 87%
Arab States 8% 26% 43.7% 69%
Asia and Pacific 9% 23% 43.9% 66%
Commonwealth of
Independent States		 10% 34% 67.7% 89%
Europe 46% 67% 79.6% 91%
   
Internet users per 100 inhabitants Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Internet users per 100 inhabitants Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Internet users in 2015 as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Internet users in 2015 as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union.

02Broadband usage

Worldwide broadband subscriptions
Users 2007 2010 2016 2019
World population 6.6 billion 6.9 billion 7.3 billion 7.75 billion
Fixed broadband 5% 8% 11.9% 14.5%
Developing world 2% 4% 8.2% 11.2%
Developed world 18% 24% 30.1% 33.6%
Mobile broadband 4% 11% 49.4% 83%
Developing world 1% 4% 40.9% 75.2%
Developed world 19% 43% 90.3% 121.7%
    
Broadband subscriptions by region
Subscription Place 2007 2010 2014 2019
Fixed Africa 0.1% 0.2% 0.4% 0.4%
Americas 11% 14% 17% 22%
Arab States 1% 2% 3% 8.1%
Asia and Pacific 3% 6% 8% 14.4%
Commonwealth of
Independent States		 2% 8% 14% 19.8%
Europe 18% 24% 28% 31.9%
Mobile Africa 0.2% 2% 19% 34%
Americas 6% 23% 59% 104.4%
Arab States 0.8% 5% 25% 67.3%
Asia and Pacific 3% 7% 23% 89%
Commonwealth of
Independent States		 0.2% 22% 49% 85.4%
Europe 15% 29% 64% 97.4%
   
Number of Internet users in 2012 Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Number of Internet users in 2012 Source: International Telecommunication Union.
These maps illustrate the growth in the percentage of individuals using the Internet from 1990 to 2014.
These maps illustrate the growth in the percentage of individuals using the Internet from 1990 to 2014.

03Internet hosts

The Internet Systems Consortium provides account for the number of the worldwide number of IPv4 hosts (see below). In 2019, this Internet domain survey was discontinued as it does not account for IPv6 hosts, and therefore might be misleading.

Number of Internet users in 2011 This map illustrates the total number of Internet users in a country as well as the percentage of the population that had Internet access in 2011.Source: Information Geographies at the Oxford Internet Institute.
Number of Internet users in 2011 This map illustrates the total number of Internet users in a country as well as the percentage of the population that had Internet access in 2011.Source: Information Geographies at the Oxford Internet Institute.

04Web index

The Web index is a composite statistic designed and produced by the World Wide Web Foundation. It provides a multi-dimensional measure of the World Wide Web's contribution to development and human rights globally. It covers 86 countries as of 2014, the latest year for which the index has been compiled. The 2020 edition of the Foundation-affiliated Alliance for Affordable Internet's Affordability Drivers Index, which it describes as benefiting from the research framework established by the Web Index, covered 72 countries. It incorporates indicators that assess the areas of universal access, freedom and openness, relevant content, and empowerment, which indicate economic, social, and political impacts of the Web.

Fixed broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Fixed broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union.
Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012as a percentage of a country's population Source: International Telecommunication Union.

05IPv4 addresses

The Carna Botnet was a botnet of 420,000 devices created by hackers to measure the extent of the Internet in what the creators called the "Internet Census of 2012".

Broadband affordability in 2011 This map presents an overview of broadband affordability, as the relationship between average yearly income per capita and the cost of a broadband subscription (data referring to 2011).Source: Information Geographies at the Oxford Internet Institute.
Broadband affordability in 2011 This map presents an overview of broadband affordability, as the relationship between average yearly income per capita and the cost of a broadband subscription (data referring to 2011).Source: Information Geographies at the Oxford Internet Institute.
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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Global Internet usage”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Alliance for Affordable Internet

The Alliance for Affordable Internet is an initiative to make the Internet more affordable to people around the world. The World Wide Web Foundation serves as the Secretariat, and major members of coalition include Google, the Omidyar Network, the Department for International Development, USAID, Facebook, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, UN Women and many others from the public, private and civil society sectors.

Digital rights

Digital rights are the human rights and legal rights that enable individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media, as well as to access and use computers, other electronic devices, and telecommunications networks. The concept is particularly related to the protection and realization of existing rights, such as the right to privacy and freedom of expression, in the context of digital technologies, particularly the Internet.

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