Look around you: from the morning commute to the late-night scroll, our world is now fundamentally woven into the digital fabric, a truth underscored by the fact that over two-thirds of humanity, or 5.44 billion people, were actively online in 2024.
Key Takeaways
- In 2024, there were 5.44 billion internet users worldwide, equating to 67.5% of the global population
- As of January 2024, global internet penetration reached 67.5%, up from 66.2% in the previous year
- The number of internet users grew by 144 million (+2.7%) between January 2023 and January 2024
- In India, internet users reached 881.3 million by FY2024, penetration at 64%
- China had 1.07 billion internet users as of December 2023, 75.6% penetration
- United States internet penetration was 92.0% in 2023, with 307 million users
- In 2023, 85% of US adults used the internet daily
- Globally, 52% of internet users were male and 48% female in 2023
- In the US, 93% of adults aged 18-29 used internet vs 49% of 65+
- In 2023, 62.6% of global internet traffic came from mobile devices
- Smartphones accounted for 59% of web traffic worldwide in 2023
- Global mobile connections reached 8.6 billion in 2023
- Average daily internet time: 6 hours 58 minutes per user globally in 2023
- Filipinos averaged 10 hours 24 minutes online daily in 2023
- South Africans: 9 hours 47 minutes daily internet use 2023
The internet's global reach continues to grow steadily across all demographics.
Demographic Breakdown
- In 2023, 85% of US adults used the internet daily
- Globally, 52% of internet users were male and 48% female in 2023
- In the US, 93% of adults aged 18-29 used internet vs 49% of 65+
- Women represented 48.5% of global internet users in early 2024
- Urban internet penetration: 74% globally vs 34% rural in 2023
- 62% of global internet users aged 16-64 in 2023
- In developing countries, youth (15-24) had 71% internet use rate in 2023
- Higher education users: 90% internet access globally in 2023
- Low-income households: 53% internet access in US 2023
- Globally, 57% of women vs 64% men used internet in 2023
- Millennials (25-40) comprised 35% of internet users worldwide 2023
- In India, 55% of internet users under 35 years old in 2023
- Elderly (65+) internet use: 85% in South Korea 2023
- Rural US internet access: 78% households in 2023
- Globally, top 20% income quintile: 90% internet use, bottom 20%: 30% in 2023
- Hispanic internet users in US: 85% in 2023
- Black Americans: 80% internet use daily in 2023
- In EU, 95% of 16-24 year-olds online daily 2023
- Global Gen Z (born 1997-2012): 95% internet penetration 2023
- Employed individuals: 72% internet use for work globally 2023
- Students: 92% daily internet use worldwide 2023
- In Brazil, 60% female internet users in 2023
- Urban youth in Africa: 65% internet access vs 20% rural 2023
- High-income countries: 95% female internet parity in 2023
- Low-income: 37% gender gap in internet use 2023
- 91% of smartphone owners in US used internet in 2023
Demographic Breakdown Interpretation
The internet, like a nightclub at 2 AM, is packed with the young, educated, and urban while turning a velvet rope on the door against the poor, the elderly, and rural dwellers, proving that while we call it a "world wide web," access is still frustratingly local and exclusive.
Device and Mobile Usage
- In 2023, 62.6% of global internet traffic came from mobile devices
- Smartphones accounted for 59% of web traffic worldwide in 2023
- Global mobile connections reached 8.6 billion in 2023
- 4.88 billion mobile internet users globally in early 2024
- Desktop usage share: 34% of global internet traffic 2023
- Tablets: 5% of total web traffic worldwide 2023
- In US, 85% of adults owned smartphones in 2023
- Global 5G smartphone shipments: 274 million units in 2023
- Mobile broadband penetration: 110 subscriptions per 100 people globally 2023
- 93% of mobile internet access via smartphones, not feature phones, 2023
- Average mobile data usage per smartphone: 13 GB/month globally 2023
- In India, 95% of internet access via mobile in 2023
- Wearables with internet: 1 billion connected devices 2023
- Smart TVs internet-enabled: 60% of global TV households 2023
- Global connected IoT devices: 16.6 billion in 2023
- Mobile app downloads: 257 billion globally in 2023
- 81% of US smartphone users used voice assistants 2023
- Android OS market share: 72% of global mobile OS 2023
- iOS: 27% global mobile OS share 2023
- Mobile payment users: 2.9 billion worldwide 2023
- 5G coverage reached 40% of global population 2023
- Fixed broadband via fiber: 50% of subscriptions 2023
- Gaming consoles online: 250 million in 2023
- Global average mobile download speed: 50 Mbps in Q4 2023
- 76% of mobile traffic via video in 2023
- Daily active mobile internet users: 4.9 billion in 2023
Device and Mobile Usage Interpretation
The world is now quite literally in our pockets, proven by the fact that over six in ten online journeys begin with a thumb swipe, while desktops gather dust as the forgotten workhorses of a bygone era.
Global Usage Statistics
- In 2024, there were 5.44 billion internet users worldwide, equating to 67.5% of the global population
- As of January 2024, global internet penetration reached 67.5%, up from 66.2% in the previous year
- The number of internet users grew by 144 million (+2.7%) between January 2023 and January 2024
- In 2023, 63% of the world's population used the internet, totaling 5.3 billion users
- Global active internet users stood at 5.35 billion in early 2023, representing 66.2% penetration
- By October 2023, internet users reached 5.4 billion, or 67% of the global population
- Internet usage grew by 2.6% year-over-year in 2023, adding 137 million users globally
- In Q4 2023, worldwide internet penetration was 66.5%, with 5.37 billion users
- Fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.43 billion globally in 2023
- Mobile broadband subscriptions hit 5.6 billion in 2023, covering 68% of people worldwide
- By mid-2023, 5.3 billion people accessed the internet, 65% of global population
- Global internet traffic averaged 3,291 exabytes per month in 2023
- In 2022, 62.5% of the world population was online, totaling 5.1 billion users
- Internet users increased by 200 million from 2021 to 2022 globally
- As of 2023, 37% of the global population remained offline
- Global households with internet access: 1.15 billion in 2023
- IPv6 adoption reached 39% of global networks in 2023
- Worldwide internet connection speed averaged 63.9 Mbps in Q4 2023
- Global mobile internet traffic accounted for 60% of total IP traffic in 2023
- In 2023, 5.16 billion people used the internet monthly
- Global internet uptime averaged 99.9% in 2023 across major providers
- By 2023, 71% of internet users accessed via mobile devices primarily
- Global data consumption per internet user was 15 GB/month in 2023
- Internet penetration in developed countries hit 92% in 2023
- Developing countries had 57% internet penetration in 2023
- Global 5G connections reached 1.76 billion by end of 2023
- Fixed wireless access subscribers grew to 120 million globally in 2023
- Global internet exports/imports balanced at 50/50 traffic split in 2023
- By 2023, 28% of global internet traffic was HTTPS encrypted, wait no, 95% HTTPS adoption
- Global average latency for internet was 30 ms in 2023
Global Usage Statistics Interpretation
While our planet still harbors a stubborn offline contingent of 37%, the relentless digital tide has now swept in over two-thirds of humanity, with 5.44 billion of us connected and consuming data at a voracious clip, ensuring that being online is less a novelty and more the default state of human existence.
Regional and Country-Specific Usage
- In India, internet users reached 881.3 million by FY2024, penetration at 64%
- China had 1.07 billion internet users as of December 2023, 75.6% penetration
- United States internet penetration was 92.0% in 2023, with 307 million users
- Brazil's internet users numbered 181.4 million in 2024, 85% penetration
- Indonesia had 212 million internet users in early 2024, 77.2% penetration
- Nigeria's internet penetration stood at 55% in 2023, with 122 million users
- Japan's internet users reached 117.1 million in 2023, 93% penetration
- Germany had 66.5 million internet users in 2023, 79% penetration
- In the UK, 67.8 million people used the internet in 2023, 98.5% penetration
- South Korea's internet penetration was 96.6% in 2023, with 49.9 million users
- Mexico had 93 million internet users in 2023, 77% penetration
- In Russia, 133 million internet users in 2023, 93% penetration
- Philippines internet users: 85.6 million in 2023, 76.5% penetration
- Egypt had 75.6 million internet users in 2023, 72% penetration
- Turkey's internet penetration reached 82.3% in 2023, 70.5 million users
- Vietnam had 78.44 million internet users in 2023, 79.1% penetration
- In Saudi Arabia, 36.3 million internet users in 2023, 99% penetration
- Argentina's internet users: 40.7 million in 2023, 88.5% penetration
- Thailand had 57.3 million internet users in 2023, 80.3% penetration
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, internet penetration was 29% in 2023
- Europe had 93% internet penetration in 2023
- Arab States region: 71% internet penetration in 2023
- Asia-Pacific: 67% internet penetration in 2023
- Americas: 83% internet penetration in 2023
- In Africa, mobile internet dominated with 80% of connections in 2023
- EU-27 average internet use: 90% of population in 2023
- In Northern Europe, 98% household internet access in 2023
- Latin America internet growth: +10% users in 2023
- Middle East penetration: 78% in urban areas 2023
Regional and Country-Specific Usage Interpretation
While China and India boast the biggest digital crowds, the real measure of internet power isn't just the size of the audience, but how seamlessly it's woven into the fabric of daily life, from the near-saturation in South Korea and the UK to the mobile-fueled leapfrogging across Africa.
Time and Frequency of Use
- Average daily internet time: 6 hours 58 minutes per user globally in 2023
- Filipinos averaged 10 hours 24 minutes online daily in 2023
- South Africans: 9 hours 47 minutes daily internet use 2023
- Brazil: 9 hours 37 minutes average daily online 2023
- Colombians spent 9 hours 34 minutes online daily 2023
- Kenyans: 9 hours 21 minutes daily internet 2023
- Average weekly social media time: 2 hours 23 minutes globally 2023
- US adults: 7 hours online daily excluding work 2023
- Mobile screen time average: 4 hours 39 minutes daily worldwide 2023
- 95% of internet users accessed daily in 2023
- Peak internet usage hours: 9 PM to 12 AM globally 2023
- Weekly online shopping time: 1 hour 45 minutes per user 2023
- Video streaming: 17 hours/week average globally 2023
- Gaming online: 8.45 hours/week per player worldwide 2023
- Email check frequency: 15 times/day average 2023
- News consumption online: 45 minutes/day globally 2023
- Social media daily time: 2 hours 25 minutes average 2023
- Work-related internet: 3 hours/day non-office workers 2023
- Weekend vs weekday online time: +1 hour on weekends 2023
- Under 25s: 8+ hours daily online 2023
- Over 55s: 4 hours daily internet 2023 UK
- Annual internet time per user: 151 days equivalent 2023
- App switching frequency: 9 times/minute mobile users 2023
- Daily browser tabs open: 7 average 2023
- Multitasking online: 70% of users do simultaneously 2023
- Evening peak mobile use: 60% of daily total 2023
- Global average sessions/day: 5.5 internet sessions 2023
Time and Frequency of Use Interpretation
The global online odyssey has reached such a fever pitch that we've effectively signed a second full-time job in the digital realm, one that Filipinos have already been promoted to manager in, and from which the only true break is the mortal one we'll likely miss because we were doomscrolling.
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