How Many People Have Access to the Internet 🧑‍💻

How Many People Use the Internet

Latest estimates show that a total of 5.3 billion people worldwide were using the internet at the start of Q4 2023. This represents 65.7% of the global population^[1].

Internet Users Growth vs Population Growth (Global)

The latest data show that the active internet user base grew by 330+ million in 2021 (compared to 2020)^[4], exceeding population growth by 4.97x in the same time frame^[5].

Here are the exact numbers:

Internet Penetration Rate 📈

Global Internet Penetration

The global internet penetration rate reached 66.3% in 2022, showing an annual increase of 3.7 percentage points since 2021^[6].

Global internet use reached over half of the world’s population for the first time in 2019 – accounting for a global internet penetration rate of 53.7% at a time.

Below you’ll find the global internet penetration rate over time since 2005:

Internet Penetration by Region

With the lack of universal access to the internet, let’s break down the penetration rate by region^[6].

With an 89.5% internet penetration rate in the region, Europe leads the way with the highest share of the population using the internet than any other region, followed by the CIS (83.7%) and the Americas (83.2%) region.

Africa

Africa ranks at the bottom for internet use compared to other regions, with only 39.7% of the population using the internet.

Despite limited internet connectivity, the continent’s internet user base has been on the rise, nearly doubling the penetration rate since 2017 – 21.4% vs. 39.7% in 2022.

Americas

As of 2022, the internet penetration rate in the Americas region (with the US and other 34 ITU member states) reached 83.2%, showing a 2.2 percentage point increase over the past year.

Arab States

70.3% of the population of the Arab States use the internet. The region’s internet penetration rate has grown from 55.2% in 2019.

Asia-Pacific

An estimated 64.3% of the population in the Asia-Pacific uses the Internet.

Internet adoption in the region has reached over half of the population for the first time in 2020 (with a 56.6% penetration rate at a time).

CIS

The internet penetration rate in CIS stood at 83.7% in 2022, showing an annual increase of 2.4 percentage points.

Europe

With nearly universal internet connectivity, Europe ranks at the top in terms of internet use, with a penetration rate of 89.5%.

Internet Penetration Rate by Country

Newly released statistics reveal that Ireland, Norway, Saudi Arabia and UAE rank at the top in terms of internet penetration, with a rate of 99.0% in each country^[8].

In 23 countries, more than 90% of the population uses the internet as of April 2023.

Which Devices Do People Use to Access the Internet 📱

As of Q4 2022, an estimated 95.0% of internet users aged 16 to 64 used the internet with a mobile phone, more than any other device type^[8].

Less than one-third of global internet users accessed the internet via a connected TV (29.7%) or a tablet (24.6%).

Laptop/Desktop Usage Over Time

As of 2023, desktop (including laptops) traffic share amounted to 43.07%^[9].

With the rise of mobile, desktop usage has been on a decline, losing its dominant position for the first time in 2017 (with a 43.75% market share vs. 51.56% for mobile).

Mobile Internet Usage Over Time

Over half (53-55%) of the global internet traffic comes from mobile devices as of 2023^[9].

Back in 2012, mobile internet share accounted only for 10.74% of internet traffic worldwide and has now risen to a leading platform for accessing the web.

Tablet Internet Usage Over Time

Recently released data reveals that tablet traffic accounts for 1.93% of all traffic worldwide^[9].

Tablet usage reached its peak (to date) in 2014 with a 6.29% market share.

Average Internet Speed 🚀

Average Global Mobile Internet Speed

As of April 2023, the average download speed for mobile internet users worldwide is 42.40 Mbps, showing a 36.9% year-over-year increase^[10].

Upload speed grew as well from 8.78 Mbps in April 2022 to 10.37 Mbps in April 2023.

Average Global Broadband Internet Speed

The average global fixed broadband internet speed was 80.14 Mbps in April 2022, up from 63.48 Mbps recorded in the same month a year ago^[10].

Countries With Fastest Mobile Internet Speeds

When ranked by download speed, UAE has the fastest mobile internet speeds – 190.72 Mbps. It’s the only country included in the April 2023 analysis with average mobile internet download speeds above 180 Mbps^[10].

Recently released data shows that in only 10 countries worldwide, the average download mobile internet speed is above 100 Mbps.

In the Americas region, Canada ranked 1st in terms of the fastest mobile internet speed (92.76 Mbps).

Below you’ll find a complete list of 20 countries with the fastest mobile internet, including download, upload, and latency data:

Countries With Slowest Mobile Internet Speeds

Yemen has the slowest mobile internet with an average download speed of 4.0 Mbps (vs the global average of 42.07 Mbps)^[10].

Here’s a complete list of 20 countries with the slowest mobile speeds:

Countries With Fastest Broadband Internet Speeds

As of April 2023, Singapore had the fastest broadband internet with an average download speed of 242.01 Mbps, followed by Chile (219.43 Mbps) and the United Arab Emirates (216.78 Mbps)^[10].

Below you’ll find a list of countries with the fastest fixed internet connection:

Countries With Slowest Broadband Internet Speeds

Cuba has the slowest fixed broadband internet, with an average speed of just 1.97 Mbps, followed by Afghanistan (2.31 Mbps) and Syria (3.93 Mbps)^[10].

Here’s the complete list of countries with the slowest fixed internet connection:

Average Mobile Internet Speed in the US

The national average mobile internet download speed is 81.78 Mbps as of April 2023, an increase from 61.06 Mbps as measured in April 2022^[11].

The US ranks 21st worldwide in terms of median mobile download speeds.

Average Fixed Broadband Internet Speed in the US

The average fixed broadband internet download speed in the US was 202.40 Mbps, and 23.10 Mbps for upload in April 2023^[12].

The US ranks 7th (between Thailand and Denmark) in terms of the fastest fixed broadband internet speeds worldwide.

Average Mobile Internet Speeds by US State

Mobile internet users in the US in Minnesota and Rhode Island have the fastest mobile internet download speeds, 111.67 Mbps and 109.3 Mbps, respectively^[11].

In only 5 states in the US, average mobile download internet speeds are above 100 Mbps.

At the bottom of the ranking, Mississippi has the slowest mobile internet with a mean download speed of 36.65 Mbps.

Average Fixed Broadband Internet Speeds by US State

Average fixed broadband internet download speed in the US ranges from 90.44 Mbps in Alaska to 226.65 Mbps in Delaware (with a national average of 202.40 Mbps) as of Q1 2023^[12].

Who Uses the Internet the Most? 👨‍💻

In this next section, we will explore who uses the internet the most, focusing on the United States as we could only gather comprehensive data from this region.

Internet Users by Age

When grouped by age, the internet penetration rate is highest among younger adults (18-29 years old) in the US with nearly everyone using the internet (99%), and drops to 75% among those 65 years old and over^[13].

Internet Users by Race

Internet usage findings by race show similar adoption rates between groups, with 95% of Hispanic adults in the US using the internet, followed by White (93%) and Black (91%) adults^[13].

Internet Users by Gender

Internet use is nearly identical among women and men in the US – 94% vs 93%^[13].

Internet Users by Income

Internet usage is highest (99%) among more affluent households (with an annual income of $75K and more) and lowest (86%) among households with an annual income of less than $30K^[13].

Despite the current difference, the gap in internet connectivity has been narrowing between income groups. Back in 2005, only 49% of households used the internet vs. 92% reported for households with an income above $75K.

Internet Users by Education

Internet adoption gaps remain based on education level, with the highest internet usage in the US among college graduates (98%) and the lowest among those who graduated (or didn’t) high school (86%)^[13].

Internet Users by Community Type

Internet penetration in American urban communities was approximately 95%, while internet usage is slightly lower in suburban (94%) and rural (90%) communities^[13].

How Much Time Do People Spend Online? 🕒

How Much Does an Average Person Spend Online Each Day? (Timeline)

Newly released statistics (as of Q2 2023) show that the average global internet user spent 6 hours and 35 minutes online per day^[14,15].

How Much Time Does an Average Person Spend Online by Country

The average daily time spent online varies by country.

According to Q4 2022 data, internet users in South Africa spent more time using the internet each day than in any other country – 9 hours 38 minutes, followed by Brazil (9 hours 32 minutes) and the Philippines (9 hours 14 minutes).

At the bottom of the list – Japan (3 hours 45 minutes) and Denmark (4 hours 58 minutes) stood out with the lowest number of daily hours spent using the internet.^[14]

How Much Time Does an Average Person Spend Online by Age, Gender

Internet users aged 16 to 24 years spent the most time online (compared to any other age group) – 7 hours 42 minutes among female users and 7 hours 9 minutes among male users^[8].

Among older working-age adults (55-64 years old), up to 5 hours 5 minutes was reported in the average daily time spent using the internet.

Top Types of Websites Visited and Apps Used 🌐

Survey data shows that nearly every internet user used messaging (94.5%), social media (94.2%), and search engines (80.4%) in the past month^[8].

Which Websites Do People Spend the Most Time On?

Ranked by average visit duration, YouTube leads the ranking, where on average users spend 20 minutes 32 seconds per visit^[17].

Second on the list – Bilibili (Chinese video sharing service) where users spend an average of 20 minutes 8 seconds per visit.

WhatsApp ranked third with an average visit duration of 18 minutes 13 seconds.

Main Reasons Why People Go Online 💡

For 59.3% of internet users, the primary reason to go online is to find information, followed by staying in touch with friends and relatives (55.4%) and keeping up to date with the latest news (51.2%)^[18].

Other commonly reported reasons to use the internet include entertainment-related ones, specifically watching videos, TV shows (50.6%), and listening to music (43.1%).