Gitnux/Report 2026

Internet Statistics

Average time on the internet across devices has climbed to 7 hours 18 minutes a day, yet security risks keep tightening with phishing driving 83% of malware in Google’s 2023 Transparency Report. From 46.1% IPv6 adoption to 18.0% no cache headers and cross border buying that reaches 262 million people, this page connects how people use the web with what can go wrong and where systems still fall short.
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12 days agoUpdated
Internet Statistics
Stefan WendtWritten by Stefan Wendt·Edited by Gabrielle Fontaine·Fact-checked by Jonathan Hale
Last verified Jul 8, 2026
Verified via a 4-step process
01Source

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Verify

Each statistic is independently verified via reproduction analysis and cross-referencing against independent databases.

03Grade

Figures are graded by cross-model consensus. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited.

04Cite

Every figure carries a primary source. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates so the report can be cited.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Next review Jan 2027
People now spend an average of 7 hours 18 minutes online each day across devices, and 55% of internet users bought products online in the past 12 months. Internet access has risen from 46.7% of the global population to 66.2%, but security and infrastructure still lag behind demand. Phishing accounted for 83% of malware, and 37.7% of websites still lacked TLS support.

Key Takeaways

  • In 2024, average daily time spent on the Internet across devices was 7 hours 18 minutes per day (DataReportal global average)
  • 2.06 billion people bought online in 2023 (UNCTAD estimate cited in its digital economy monitoring)
  • In 2023, there were 262 million people purchasing online on a cross-border basis (UNCTAD estimate referenced in UNCTAD digital economy figures)
  • 46.7% of the world’s population used the Internet in 2012, rising to 66.2% in 2024
  • Google reported that phishing accounted for 83% of all malware in 2023 in its Transparency Report coverage
  • In 2023, 77% of breaches in Verizon’s DBIR involved some form of criminal activity
  • The Internet Archive reported that 2024 averaged 103 million monthly active users across its web services
  • In 2023, the FCC estimated 51.6 million Americans lacked access to fixed terrestrial broadband meeting the benchmark standard
  • Satellite broadband coverage reached 2.7 billion people worldwide (as estimated in industry coverage maps used for ITU planning)
  • The EU Digital Decade targets: 100% of households covered by gigabit connectivity by 2030
  • Netcraft reported that 37.7% of websites did not support TLS in its January 2024 Web Server Survey data
  • In 2024, the global average share of responses with ‘no-cache’ headers was 18.0% (HTTP Archive header usage measurement)
  • In 2023, the global digital advertising market was $638.0 billion (eMarketer forecast for 2023)
  • Global mobile data traffic per smartphone was 15.8 GB per month in 2024 (Ericsson Mobility Report estimate)
  • NIST reported that there were 111,654,976 DNS query logs in its datasets used for Internet measurement in 2023

Internet use keeps growing alongside soaring security and cloud costs, from 7 hours daily online to major breaches and phishing.

Related reading

01 · Category

User Adoption5 stats

01
In 2024, average daily time spent on the Internet across devices was 7 hours 18 minutes per day (DataReportal global average)
02
2.06 billion people bought online in 2023 (UNCTAD estimate cited in its digital economy monitoring)
03
In 2023, there were 262 million people purchasing online on a cross-border basis (UNCTAD estimate referenced in UNCTAD digital economy figures)
04
In 2024, 72.1% of Internet users watched online video at least monthly (IAB/Google measurement in 2024 State of Interactive or similar index)
05
In 2024, 55% of internet users reported buying products online at least once in the past 12 months (OECD consumer survey data summary)
Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

In 2024, with people spending an average of 7 hours 18 minutes per day online and 72.1% watching video monthly, user adoption is clearly driven by everyday digital habits, while broader commerce is also scaling as 55% bought online at least once in the last year and 2.06 billion people purchased online in 2023.

02 · Category

Global Usage1 stats

01
46.7% of the world’s population used the Internet in 2012, rising to 66.2% in 2024
Interpretation

Global Usage Interpretation

For the Global Usage angle, Internet access surged from 46.7% of the world’s population in 2012 to 66.2% in 2024, showing a rapid widening of online connectivity over time.

03 · Category

Security & Resilience3 stats

01
Google reported that phishing accounted for 83% of all malware in 2023 in its Transparency Report coverage
02
In 2023, 77% of breaches in Verizon’s DBIR involved some form of criminal activity
03
The Internet Archive reported that 2024 averaged 103 million monthly active users across its web services
Interpretation

Security & Resilience Interpretation

Security and resilience are under pressure as phishing drove 83% of all malware in 2023 and 77% of breaches in Verizon’s DBIR involved criminal activity, even as major web services like the Internet Archive still reach about 103 million monthly active users.

More related reading

04 · Category

Infrastructure & Economy11 stats

01
In 2023, the FCC estimated 51.6 million Americans lacked access to fixed terrestrial broadband meeting the benchmark standard
02
Satellite broadband coverage reached 2.7 billion people worldwide (as estimated in industry coverage maps used for ITU planning)
03
The EU Digital Decade targets: 100% of households covered by gigabit connectivity by 2030
04
The EU Digital Decade target: 5G coverage for all populated areas by 2030
05
IDC forecasts global cloud infrastructure spending to reach $649 billion in 2027
06
Gartner forecast worldwide end-user spending on information security products and services to reach $267.6 billion in 2024
07
Gartner forecast global IT spending to reach $6.8 trillion in 2027
08
The Internet of Things (IoT) is projected to have 14.4 billion connections by 2022 (historical projection figure)
09
In 2024, the global CDN market size was $7.7 billion (2022-2028 forecast range reported by Fortune Business Insights)
10
The global cybersecurity market size was $173.2 billion in 2023 (Fortune Business Insights cybersecurity market page)
11
The global AI in cybersecurity market size was $24.6 billion in 2023 (Fortune Business Insights AI in cybersecurity page)
Interpretation

Infrastructure & Economy Interpretation

For the Infrastructure and Economy angle, the scale of connectivity gaps and the growth of digital infrastructure are clear, with 51.6 million Americans still lacking benchmark fixed terrestrial broadband in 2023 alongside a global push from 2.7 billion people covered by satellite broadband to rising cloud and security spend expected to reach $649 billion by 2027 and $267.6 billion in 2024 respectively.

06 · Category

Infrastructure & Cost3 stats

01
Global mobile data traffic per smartphone was 15.8 GB per month in 2024 (Ericsson Mobility Report estimate)
02
NIST reported that there were 111,654,976 DNS query logs in its datasets used for Internet measurement in 2023
03
In 2023, global IPv6 adoption reached 46.1% (share of global unique IP addresses supporting IPv6, per APNIC/RIPE measurement summary)
Interpretation

Infrastructure & Cost Interpretation

In 2024 the average smartphone used 15.8 GB of mobile data per month, while 2023 saw DNS logging at 111,654,976 queries and IPv6 adoption rising to 46.1%, suggesting infrastructure is being stressed by growing traffic but increasingly supported by more modern addressing.
report visual · Key figures

Internet use keeps rising

The share of the world’s population using the Internet increased from 2012 to 2024.

46.7%
46.7% of the world’s population used the Internet in 2012, rising to 66.2% in 2024
2024
In 2024, average daily time spent on the Internet across devices was 7 hours 18 minutes per day (DataReportal global ave
2.06
2.06 billion people bought online in 2023 (UNCTAD estimate cited in its digital economy monitoring)
source-verifieditu.int · datareportal.com · unctad.org2024
Reference

Cite This Report

This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.

APA
Stefan Wendt. (2026, February 13). Internet Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/internet-statistics
MLA
Stefan Wendt. "Internet Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/internet-statistics.
Chicago
Stefan Wendt. 2026. "Internet Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/internet-statistics.

Sources & references

27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level

datareportal.comitu.inttransparencyreport.google.comverizon.comarchive.orgfcc.govdigital-strategy.ec.europa.euidc.comgartner.comcisco.comnews.netcraft.comhttparchive.orgunctad.orgiab.comfortunebusinessinsights.comemarketer.comoecd.orgericsson.comproofpoint.comnvlpubs.nist.govstats.apnic.net

+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)