GITNUXREPORT 2026

Networking Statistics

The world's internet access grows rapidly but faces unequal reach and escalating security threats.

Gitnux Team

Expert team of market researchers and data analysts.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

Global data center IP traffic: 10.4 ZB in 2022.

Statistic 2

Submarine cables: 1.4 million km laid globally.

Statistic 3

Data centers worldwide: 10,000 large-scale in 2023.

Statistic 4

Global fiber optic deployment: 300 million km.

Statistic 5

Router and switch market: $45 billion in 2023.

Statistic 6

Hyperscale data centers: 1,000+ globally.

Statistic 7

800G transponders shipped: 100,000 units.

Statistic 8

Tower companies own 2.8 million sites.

Statistic 9

PON ports: 200 million FTTH globally.

Statistic 10

Enterprise WLAN market: $8 billion.

Statistic 11

Chipset shipments for networks: 15 billion.

Statistic 12

Microwave backhaul links: 1 million deployed.

Statistic 13

Data center switches: 50% 400G upgrade.

Statistic 14

Global cable landing stations: 300.

Statistic 15

5G base stations: 3 million worldwide.

Statistic 16

Rack space in colocation: 10 million sq ft.

Statistic 17

Optical transport market: $20 billion.

Statistic 18

Small cell deployments: 5 million units.

Statistic 19

Power usage in data centers: 400 TWh annually.

Statistic 20

Campus network switches: 100 million ports.

Statistic 21

Dark fiber leases: 20% of total fiber.

Statistic 22

Edge nodes: 10,000 in telco networks.

Statistic 23

GPON OLT ports: 50 million.

Statistic 24

Satellite ground stations: 5,000 LEO.

Statistic 25

Network interface cards market: $5 billion.

Statistic 26

Metro Ethernet ports: 30 million.

Statistic 27

Cooling systems in DCs: 40% liquid cooling adoption.

Statistic 28

79 billion cyber attacks recorded globally in 2023.

Statistic 29

DDoS attacks increased 200% YoY to 9.3 million in 2023.

Statistic 30

Ransomware attacks rose 73% to 2,228 in Q4 2023.

Statistic 31

94% of malware delivered via email in 2023.

Statistic 32

Phishing attacks: 300 million incidents in 2023.

Statistic 33

Data breaches exposed 4.35 billion records in 2023.

Statistic 34

Zero-day exploits: 97 discovered in 2023.

Statistic 35

IoT devices hit by 1.5 billion attacks in 2023.

Statistic 36

Malware variants: 5.5 billion detected in 2023.

Statistic 37

Supply chain attacks up 42% in 2023.

Statistic 38

Mobile malware attacks: 6 million in 2023.

Statistic 39

83% of organizations faced phishing in 2023.

Statistic 40

DDoS volume averaged 20 million packets/sec.

Statistic 41

Cryptojacking incidents: 80 million in 2023.

Statistic 42

Insider threats caused 20% of breaches.

Statistic 43

APT groups active: 160 in 2023.

Statistic 44

VPN exploits surged 300% in remote work era.

Statistic 45

68% of breaches involved human error.

Statistic 46

Botnet attacks: 40% of web traffic malicious.

Statistic 47

Credential stuffing: 200 billion attempts yearly.

Statistic 48

Ransomware payments averaged $1.5 million.

Statistic 49

50% of attacks targeted cloud environments.

Statistic 50

SQL injection remains top web vuln at 8%.

Statistic 51

Global cybercrime costs $8 trillion annually.

Statistic 52

5G networks saw 25% more attacks.

Statistic 53

Shadow IT usage in 54% of orgs led to breaches.

Statistic 54

300,000 new vulnerabilities disclosed in 2023.

Statistic 55

EMEA DDoS attacks up 50% YoY.

Statistic 56

92% of orgs hit by supply chain attack.

Statistic 57

Mobile banking trojans: 4.4 million samples.

Statistic 58

5G Standalone deployments vulnerable to 19 flaws.

Statistic 59

Global 5G connections reached 1.5 billion by end 2023.

Statistic 60

5G penetration: 20% of mobile subscriptions in 2023.

Statistic 61

Wi-Fi 7 devices shipments: 10 million in 2023.

Statistic 62

Global LPWAN connections: 300 million in 2023.

Statistic 63

SDN market grew 30% to $25 billion in 2023.

Statistic 64

NFV deployments in 60% of telcos by 2023.

Statistic 65

Edge computing market: $16.5 billion in 2023.

Statistic 66

Private 5G networks: 1,000 deployed globally.

Statistic 67

Wi-Fi 6E adoption: 25% of enterprise APs.

Statistic 68

SD-WAN users: 40 million branch offices.

Statistic 69

MEC market to hit $8.5 billion by 2025.

Statistic 70

Global satellite internet subs: 2 million in 2023.

Statistic 71

Open RAN deployments: 40 operators worldwide.

Statistic 72

Network automation adoption: 70% of enterprises.

Statistic 73

400G ports shipped: 5 million units in 2023.

Statistic 74

eSIM adoption: 50% of new smartphones.

Statistic 75

Global mesh network market: $4 billion.

Statistic 76

6G research investments: $10 billion annually.

Statistic 77

SASE market grew 40% to $3.8 billion.

Statistic 78

mmWave 5G coverage: 15% of sites in 2023.

Statistic 79

Intent-based networking: 35% adoption rate.

Statistic 80

Global Wi-Fi market: $12 billion in 2023.

Statistic 81

Subsea cable capacity: 1.4 Tbps per fiber pair.

Statistic 82

Network slicing in 5G: 25% of networks.

Statistic 83

Global Ethernet switch ports: 500 million.

Statistic 84

Global IP traffic reached 3.3 zettabytes in 2022.

Statistic 85

By 2023, average fixed broadband speed globally: 110 Mbps.

Statistic 86

Mobile data traffic grew 30% YoY to 923 exabytes in 2023.

Statistic 87

Video streaming accounts for 82% of global internet traffic in 2023.

Statistic 88

Average peak internet connection speed: 70 Mbps globally in Q4 2023.

Statistic 89

Wi-Fi 6 traffic share: 20% of total wireless traffic in 2023.

Statistic 90

Global internet traffic doubled every 3 years since 2017.

Statistic 91

Fixed traffic: 71% of total IP traffic in 2022.

Statistic 92

Gaming traffic: 12% of consumer internet traffic in 2023.

Statistic 93

Average mobile download speed: 50 Mbps globally in 2023.

Statistic 94

North America fixed speeds: 220 Mbps average in 2023.

Statistic 95

IoT devices generated 1.5% of mobile traffic in 2023.

Statistic 96

Asia-Pacific mobile traffic: 60% of global total in 2023.

Statistic 97

Average latency on fixed networks: 15 ms globally in 2023.

Statistic 98

5G expected to carry 45% of mobile traffic by 2028.

Statistic 99

HTTPS traffic: 85% of web traffic in Q4 2023.

Statistic 100

Peak global traffic hit 40 Tbps in 2023.

Statistic 101

Video on demand: 57% of fixed traffic in 2022.

Statistic 102

Mobile upload speeds averaged 10 Mbps globally.

Statistic 103

Europe average fixed speed: 140 Mbps in 2023.

Statistic 104

Social media traffic: 8% of total internet traffic.

Statistic 105

Global bandwidth capacity grew 25% YoY to 2023.

Statistic 106

Latin America mobile speeds: 30 Mbps average.

Statistic 107

Cloud traffic: 20% of total IP traffic in 2022.

Statistic 108

Average video bitrate streamed: 4.5 Mbps in 2023.

Statistic 109

Fixed latency averages 20 ms in Asia-Pacific.

Statistic 110

P2P traffic share dropped to 2% globally.

Statistic 111

Global DDoS attacks peaked at 5.6 Tbps in 2023.

Statistic 112

In 2023, global internet users reached 5.3 billion, representing 66% of the world's population.

Statistic 113

By 2024, internet penetration in North America stands at 94%, the highest globally.

Statistic 114

Asia hosts 2.8 billion internet users, accounting for 53% of the global total in 2023.

Statistic 115

In 2023, 67% of the global population uses mobile internet.

Statistic 116

Africa’s internet penetration grew from 27% in 2019 to 43% in 2023.

Statistic 117

In 2024, India has 881 million active internet users, surpassing the US.

Statistic 118

62% of the world’s population was online by end of 2023.

Statistic 119

Latin America saw 50 million new internet users in 2023, reaching 512 million.

Statistic 120

Fixed broadband subscriptions globally reached 1.37 billion in 2022.

Statistic 121

Mobile broadband penetration hit 99% in high-income countries in 2023.

Statistic 122

By 2023, 75% of Europeans have home broadband access.

Statistic 123

Global households with internet access: 1.1 billion in urban areas vs 400 million rural in 2023.

Statistic 124

In 2024, 93% of South Koreans are internet users.

Statistic 125

Middle East internet users grew 8% YoY to 200 million in 2023.

Statistic 126

Oceania’s internet penetration is 80% as of 2023.

Statistic 127

85% of US adults use the internet daily in 2023.

Statistic 128

Brazil has 181 million internet users, 85% penetration in 2023.

Statistic 129

Global active social media users: 4.95 billion in 2024, tied to internet access.

Statistic 130

Nigeria’s internet users doubled to 123 million from 2019-2023.

Statistic 131

70% of global internet users access via mobile devices only.

Statistic 132

Fixed internet subscriptions per 100 people: 15 globally in 2022.

Statistic 133

In 2023, 55% penetration in lower-middle income countries.

Statistic 134

China’s internet users: 1.08 billion, 76% penetration in 2023.

Statistic 135

Rural internet access gap: 37% offline vs 6% urban globally.

Statistic 136

2023 saw 100 million new users in Southeast Asia.

Statistic 137

Japan’s internet penetration: 94% in 2023.

Statistic 138

90% of UAE population online in 2023.

Statistic 139

Global mobile connections: 8.6 billion in 2023.

Statistic 140

40% penetration in least developed countries in 2023.

Statistic 141

UK internet users: 68 million, 98% penetration in 2023.

1/141

Sources

Trusted by 500+ publications

+497

From the explosive growth of global internet users and the dominance of mobile access to the staggering rise in cyber threats and the relentless march of technologies like 5G and edge computing, the world of networking is not just evolving—it is fundamentally reshaping how humanity connects and communicates.

Key Takeaways

In 2023, global internet users reached 5.3 billion, representing 66% of the world's population.
By 2024, internet penetration in North America stands at 94%, the highest globally.
Asia hosts 2.8 billion internet users, accounting for 53% of the global total in 2023.
Global IP traffic reached 3.3 zettabytes in 2022.
By 2023, average fixed broadband speed globally: 110 Mbps.
Mobile data traffic grew 30% YoY to 923 exabytes in 2023.
79 billion cyber attacks recorded globally in 2023.
DDoS attacks increased 200% YoY to 9.3 million in 2023.
Ransomware attacks rose 73% to 2,228 in Q4 2023.
Global 5G connections reached 1.5 billion by end 2023.
5G penetration: 20% of mobile subscriptions in 2023.
Wi-Fi 7 devices shipments: 10 million in 2023.
Global data center IP traffic: 10.4 ZB in 2022.
Submarine cables: 1.4 million km laid globally.
Data centers worldwide: 10,000 large-scale in 2023.

The world's internet access grows rapidly but faces unequal reach and escalating security threats.

Infrastructure and Hardware

Global data center IP traffic: 10.4 ZB in 2022.
Submarine cables: 1.4 million km laid globally.
Data centers worldwide: 10,000 large-scale in 2023.
Global fiber optic deployment: 300 million km.
Router and switch market: $45 billion in 2023.
Hyperscale data centers: 1,000+ globally.
800G transponders shipped: 100,000 units.
Tower companies own 2.8 million sites.
PON ports: 200 million FTTH globally.
Enterprise WLAN market: $8 billion.
Chipset shipments for networks: 15 billion.
Microwave backhaul links: 1 million deployed.
Data center switches: 50% 400G upgrade.
Global cable landing stations: 300.
5G base stations: 3 million worldwide.
Rack space in colocation: 10 million sq ft.
Optical transport market: $20 billion.
Small cell deployments: 5 million units.
Power usage in data centers: 400 TWh annually.
Campus network switches: 100 million ports.
Dark fiber leases: 20% of total fiber.
Edge nodes: 10,000 in telco networks.
GPON OLT ports: 50 million.
Satellite ground stations: 5,000 LEO.
Network interface cards market: $5 billion.
Metro Ethernet ports: 30 million.
Cooling systems in DCs: 40% liquid cooling adoption.

Infrastructure and Hardware Interpretation

The sheer scale of our digital world, from the 10 zettabytes coursing through its veins to the millions of kilometers of fiber optic nerves and billions of silicon synapses powering it, reveals a sobering truth: civilization's new pulse is now a quantifiable, voracious, and staggeringly expensive heartbeat.

Security Threats

79 billion cyber attacks recorded globally in 2023.
DDoS attacks increased 200% YoY to 9.3 million in 2023.
Ransomware attacks rose 73% to 2,228 in Q4 2023.
94% of malware delivered via email in 2023.
Phishing attacks: 300 million incidents in 2023.
Data breaches exposed 4.35 billion records in 2023.
Zero-day exploits: 97 discovered in 2023.
IoT devices hit by 1.5 billion attacks in 2023.
Malware variants: 5.5 billion detected in 2023.
Supply chain attacks up 42% in 2023.
Mobile malware attacks: 6 million in 2023.
83% of organizations faced phishing in 2023.
DDoS volume averaged 20 million packets/sec.
Cryptojacking incidents: 80 million in 2023.
Insider threats caused 20% of breaches.
APT groups active: 160 in 2023.
VPN exploits surged 300% in remote work era.
68% of breaches involved human error.
Botnet attacks: 40% of web traffic malicious.
Credential stuffing: 200 billion attempts yearly.
Ransomware payments averaged $1.5 million.
50% of attacks targeted cloud environments.
SQL injection remains top web vuln at 8%.
Global cybercrime costs $8 trillion annually.
5G networks saw 25% more attacks.
Shadow IT usage in 54% of orgs led to breaches.
300,000 new vulnerabilities disclosed in 2023.
EMEA DDoS attacks up 50% YoY.
92% of orgs hit by supply chain attack.
Mobile banking trojans: 4.4 million samples.
5G Standalone deployments vulnerable to 19 flaws.

Security Threats Interpretation

In 2023, the internet essentially became a digital thunderdome where the most popular activities were sending 300 million phishing invitations, paying a $1.5 million ransom to get your files back, and accidentally leaving the door open for 4.35 billion records to waltz out.

Technology Adoption

Global 5G connections reached 1.5 billion by end 2023.
5G penetration: 20% of mobile subscriptions in 2023.
Wi-Fi 7 devices shipments: 10 million in 2023.
Global LPWAN connections: 300 million in 2023.
SDN market grew 30% to $25 billion in 2023.
NFV deployments in 60% of telcos by 2023.
Edge computing market: $16.5 billion in 2023.
Private 5G networks: 1,000 deployed globally.
Wi-Fi 6E adoption: 25% of enterprise APs.
SD-WAN users: 40 million branch offices.
MEC market to hit $8.5 billion by 2025.
Global satellite internet subs: 2 million in 2023.
Open RAN deployments: 40 operators worldwide.
Network automation adoption: 70% of enterprises.
400G ports shipped: 5 million units in 2023.
eSIM adoption: 50% of new smartphones.
Global mesh network market: $4 billion.
6G research investments: $10 billion annually.
SASE market grew 40% to $3.8 billion.
mmWave 5G coverage: 15% of sites in 2023.
Intent-based networking: 35% adoption rate.
Global Wi-Fi market: $12 billion in 2023.
Subsea cable capacity: 1.4 Tbps per fiber pair.
Network slicing in 5G: 25% of networks.
Global Ethernet switch ports: 500 million.

Technology Adoption Interpretation

We are orchestrating a staggering technological symphony, from the five billion notes of 400G ports to the global chorus of 1.5 billion 5G connections, all conducted by the silent batons of automation and SASE to ensure the whole frantic performance doesn't descend into elegant chaos.

Traffic and Bandwidth

Global IP traffic reached 3.3 zettabytes in 2022.
By 2023, average fixed broadband speed globally: 110 Mbps.
Mobile data traffic grew 30% YoY to 923 exabytes in 2023.
Video streaming accounts for 82% of global internet traffic in 2023.
Average peak internet connection speed: 70 Mbps globally in Q4 2023.
Wi-Fi 6 traffic share: 20% of total wireless traffic in 2023.
Global internet traffic doubled every 3 years since 2017.
Fixed traffic: 71% of total IP traffic in 2022.
Gaming traffic: 12% of consumer internet traffic in 2023.
Average mobile download speed: 50 Mbps globally in 2023.
North America fixed speeds: 220 Mbps average in 2023.
IoT devices generated 1.5% of mobile traffic in 2023.
Asia-Pacific mobile traffic: 60% of global total in 2023.
Average latency on fixed networks: 15 ms globally in 2023.
5G expected to carry 45% of mobile traffic by 2028.
HTTPS traffic: 85% of web traffic in Q4 2023.
Peak global traffic hit 40 Tbps in 2023.
Video on demand: 57% of fixed traffic in 2022.
Mobile upload speeds averaged 10 Mbps globally.
Europe average fixed speed: 140 Mbps in 2023.
Social media traffic: 8% of total internet traffic.
Global bandwidth capacity grew 25% YoY to 2023.
Latin America mobile speeds: 30 Mbps average.
Cloud traffic: 20% of total IP traffic in 2022.
Average video bitrate streamed: 4.5 Mbps in 2023.
Fixed latency averages 20 ms in Asia-Pacific.
P2P traffic share dropped to 2% globally.
Global DDoS attacks peaked at 5.6 Tbps in 2023.

Traffic and Bandwidth Interpretation

In a world where we collectively streamed enough cat videos to fill several billion libraries, our networks still managed to deliver them at speeds that would make a 1990s modem weep, all while fending off digital siege engines—truly, the internet is both humanity's greatest party and its most fortified bunker.

User Adoption and Penetration

In 2023, global internet users reached 5.3 billion, representing 66% of the world's population.
By 2024, internet penetration in North America stands at 94%, the highest globally.
Asia hosts 2.8 billion internet users, accounting for 53% of the global total in 2023.
In 2023, 67% of the global population uses mobile internet.
Africa’s internet penetration grew from 27% in 2019 to 43% in 2023.
In 2024, India has 881 million active internet users, surpassing the US.
62% of the world’s population was online by end of 2023.
Latin America saw 50 million new internet users in 2023, reaching 512 million.
Fixed broadband subscriptions globally reached 1.37 billion in 2022.
Mobile broadband penetration hit 99% in high-income countries in 2023.
By 2023, 75% of Europeans have home broadband access.
Global households with internet access: 1.1 billion in urban areas vs 400 million rural in 2023.
In 2024, 93% of South Koreans are internet users.
Middle East internet users grew 8% YoY to 200 million in 2023.
Oceania’s internet penetration is 80% as of 2023.
85% of US adults use the internet daily in 2023.
Brazil has 181 million internet users, 85% penetration in 2023.
Global active social media users: 4.95 billion in 2024, tied to internet access.
Nigeria’s internet users doubled to 123 million from 2019-2023.
70% of global internet users access via mobile devices only.
Fixed internet subscriptions per 100 people: 15 globally in 2022.
In 2023, 55% penetration in lower-middle income countries.
China’s internet users: 1.08 billion, 76% penetration in 2023.
Rural internet access gap: 37% offline vs 6% urban globally.
2023 saw 100 million new users in Southeast Asia.
Japan’s internet penetration: 94% in 2023.
90% of UAE population online in 2023.
Global mobile connections: 8.6 billion in 2023.
40% penetration in least developed countries in 2023.
UK internet users: 68 million, 98% penetration in 2023.

User Adoption and Penetration Interpretation

While North America basks in near-ubiquitous connectivity and Asia hosts the absolute majority of users, the true story of our digital age is a tale of two planets: one urban, wired, and scrolling, and another—represented by a surging Africa and vast rural gaps—still racing to get online, proving that the internet is now the essential theater of human activity, yet its stage remains stubbornly uneven.

Sources & References

Logos provided by Logo.dev