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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]

Internet users

Main article: List of countries by number of Internet 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.[4]

   

Broadband usage

Main article: List of sovereign states by number of broadband Internet subscriptions
   
   

Internet hosts

Main article: List of sovereign states by number of Internet 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.[5]

Web index

Main article: Web 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.[6][7] 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.

IPv4 addresses

Main articles: Carna botnet and List of countries by IPv4 address allocation

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".[8][9]

Languages

Main article: Languages used on the Internet
   

Censorship and surveillance

Main article: Internet censorship and surveillance by country

See also

References

  1. ^ "Statistics". www.itu.int. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  2. ^ "Press Release". ITU. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  3. ^ "Press Release". ITU. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  4. ^ "Facts and Figures 2025". www.itu.int. Retrieved 2026-03-01.
  5. ^ Reid, Brian (26 August 2019). "ISC terminates long-running IPv4 Domain Survey, looks towards IPv6". www.isc.org. Archived 29 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Web Index 2014 data". World Wide Web Foundation. Archived 16 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Web Index – taking a break in 2015". World Wide Web Foundation. 24 November 2014. Archived 18 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  8. ^ Stöcker, Christian & Horchert, Judith (2013-03-22). "Mapping the Internet: A Hacker's Secret Internet Census". Der Spiegel. Archived 2015-10-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
  9. ^ Kleinman, Alexis (2013-03-22). "The Most Detailed, GIF-Based Map of the Internet Was Made By Hacking 420,000 Computers". HuffPost. Archived 2015-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2013-06-08.