Internet Statistics 2026

An estimated 6 billion people used the internet in 2025, up from 5.8 billion in 2024. That equals 74% of the world's population, up from 71% in 2024.

Using the reported 3.3% annual growth rate, Siteefy estimates that 6.2 billion people are online in 2026.

For a focused explanation of the count and its growth, see how many people are online.

• 2.2 billion people remained offline, or slightly more than one in four people worldwide.
• The online population grew by more than 240 million people during 2025, an average of more than 657,000 people per day.
• Annual growth accelerated from 2.9% in 2024 to 3.3% in 2025.
• The count is an ITU estimate. It combines reported country data with modelling where recent observations are missing.

What counts as using the internet?

ITU counts a person who used the internet from any location and through any device during the previous three months. The measure is about people, not accounts, subscriptions, websites, or connected devices.

The global average hides large differences by income, location, gender, and age.

• 94% of people in high-income countries were online, compared with 23% in low-income countries.
• 85% of urban residents used the internet, compared with 58% of rural residents.
• Internet use reached 77% among men and 71% among women.
• Among people aged 15 to 24, 82% were online, compared with 72% of the rest of the population.

Why these percentages should stay separate

These figures describe different groups. They show where access is uneven, but they cannot be combined into one score or used to explain why a particular person is offline.

Mobile broadband coverage is close to universal, but newer network technology is distributed much less evenly.

• 96% of the world was covered by 3G or a newer mobile network.
• 4G coverage reached 93%, while 5G reached 55%.
• Mobile broadband subscriptions reached 99 per 100 inhabitants worldwide.
• 36% of mobile broadband subscriptions used 5G.

Coverage is not the same as use

Coverage means a signal is available where people live. It does not prove that everyone can afford service, owns a suitable device, has the skills to use it, or holds a subscription.

Fixed broadband still carries most end-user internet traffic, even though mobile traffic is growing faster.

• Fixed broadband carried an estimated 7.3 ZB in 2025.
• Mobile broadband carried 1.5 ZB during the same year.
• Average mobile broadband traffic was 15.3 GB per subscription each month.
• Traffic through a phone connected to Wi-Fi is counted as fixed broadband traffic, not mobile broadband traffic.

Why traffic is an estimate

Not every operator or regulator publishes timely traffic data. ITU combines reported figures with modelled estimates based on subscriptions, speeds, affordability, and income.

Internet prices are falling, but the same service consumes a much larger share of income in poorer economies.

• 130 economies met the target for an entry-level mobile broadband basket costing no more than 2% of monthly income.
• 88 economies met the same affordability target for fixed broadband.
• The comparison covered 205 economies for mobile broadband and 195 for fixed broadband.
• In low-income economies, a fixed broadband subscription cost more than one quarter of average income where service was available.

Affordable does not mean cheap everywhere

The benchmark compares price with average income. It is useful for comparing economies, but it can still hide affordability problems for lower-income households within the same country.