Fake news continues to pollute the internet at an alarming scale, with 62% of online content now deemed false. A staggering 86% of global citizens have been exposed to misinformation, while 40% of content shared on social media is fake.
In this report, I uncover key statistics on fake news from around the world, highlighting its spread, sources, and impact. Let us get into it!
Fake News Statistics 2026: Top Picks
- Approximately 62% of online information could be false.
- Over 23% of surveyed Americans admitted to sharing a fake news story.
- 9 out of 10 American adults fact-check their news.
- Almost 45% of UK adults report coming across a fake news item daily.
- On average, 40% of content shared on social media platforms is false.
- Nearly 80% of adults in the U.S. alone have consumed fake news at one time or another.
- Approximately 86% of global citizens have been exposed to fake news.
What Percentage Of Information On The Internet Is True?
Over half of the information on the Internet is fake. This means less than 50% of the information on the Internet is true.
This section will provide you with insights into the nature and percentage of information available on the internet.
1) Less Than Half Of The Information On The Internet Is Reliable
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 62% of data on the internet is unreliable.
False information was present in online sources like social media, Wikipedia, and political blogs.
The study added that the most unreliable information was found on sources like social media, where users can engage the most.
Source: Businessdit.
How Many Americans Believe In Fake News?
In the era of information, it is concerning to see the rise of misinformation and fake news. 30% of Americans believe in fake news, while 70% could separate it from the genuine news.
This section sheds light on the prevalence of fake news in America and its effect on the citizens.
2) 3 In 10 Americans Believe In Fake News
According to a survey conducted by YouGov, on average, Americans could identify 7 in 10 outlines correctly as fake news or real news.
The survey also highlighted that a large number of Americans who believed in fake news were younger. Adults or older Americans successfully distinguished between fake news and real news.
Source: YouGov.
3) 23% of Americans Say They Have Shared A Made-Up News Story Knowingly Or Unknowingly
When asked about their opinion on made-up news or fake news, 64% of Americans believe that these made-up news stories cause great confusion in the country.
Further, 61% of the men believe that fake news causes great confusion, and 68% of the women believe that fake news can create chaos.
Source: Pew Research.
How Often Do You See Fake News?
Navigating through vast amounts of information daily makes it challenging to distinguish between fake news and genuine news. In this section, let’s uncover how individuals encounter fake news.
4) 53% Of Americans Believe They See False Or Misleading Information Online Daily
7 in 10 adults believe that they are exposed to misleading or fake information at least once per week.
On the other hand, two-thirds of people aged 65 or older said they come across misleading information daily.
Hence, half of Americans believe what they see online daily is false or misleading.
Source: YouGov.
5) Almost 50% Of American Readers See Fake News On Social Media At Least Once Daily
Almost 67% of Americans reported seeing fake news on social media at some point.
Additionally, 52% of people in the United States reported regularly encountering fake news.
The following table displays further details about the frequency at which people encounter fake news in the United States.
| Frequency | Percentage Of People In The United States Who Come Across Fake News |
|---|---|
| Regularly | 52% |
| Occasionally | 34% |
| Donot come across fake news | 9% |
| Don’t Know | 5% |
Source: Statista
Global Reach Of Fake News
In today’s interconnected world, where information has no borders, fake news has emerged as a threat. It has impacted almost 90% of the people worldwide.
Let’s take a look at the details of the global reach of fake news and its impact on individuals and societies around the world.
6) 86% Of Global Citizens Have Been Exposed To Fake News
While cybercriminals continue to be the leading source of distrust in the internet, one in four (26%) of global citizens say they do not trust the internet.
This number has been significantly growing every year.
Nearly half (49%) said they are compelled to disclose less personal information online due to their distrust.
7) 44% Of Global News Consumers Have Received False News In Print Media
Identifying false news is more challenging because it is rapidly evolving into an industry of its own. With individuals paid to write sensationalist stories, print media and the internet play a major role in spreading misinformation.
Additionally, 51% of global news consumers reported having seen fake news on television.
Source: Statista.
Fake News On Social Media
According to the Pew Research Center, almost half of Americans use social media as a news source. In today’s hyper-connected world, social media has become a major source of information.
However, it is one of the significant contributors to the spread of fake news and misinformation worldwide. This section highlights social media’s role in spreading fake news and strategies for combating it.
8) 67% Of Americans Have Encountered Fake News On Social Media
However, one of the most concerning facts is that 10% of adults in the United States have knowingly shared fake news.
55% of Americans believe that fake social media accounts are responsible for spreading misinformation.
Source: Statista.
9) Over One-Third Of The People In The United States Have Accidentally Shared Fake News Or Information On Social Media
According to a survey conducted by the United States, 38.2% of respondents reported sharing fake news on social media.
One of the major reasons for this was that they wanted to fit in with the crowd. At the same time, some shared it, considering it to be true.
Source: Statista
10) 43% Of News Consumers Felt That Social Media Companies Managed Misinformation Well
Nearly 4 in 10 adults in the United States are satisfied with social media companies using computer programs to find false information.
Social media platforms are using AI-powered tools to flag and remove fake content.
Instagram’s AI algorithms analyze the text, images, and video in user-generated content, allowing it to detect and remove harmful content quickly.
Additionally, Facebook removed more than 900 accounts, pages, and groups from its platform and Instagram that allegedly employed deceptive practices to disseminate pro-Trump narratives to approximately 55 million users in 2019.
Source: Wired, Rathenau Instituut, Pew Research, Deloitte.
11) 42% Of Adults In The United States Are Concerned About The Accuracy Of The News Seen On Social Media
At the same time, 24% of the adults said they were somewhat worried about the accuracy, and 13% said they were not very concerned about the accuracy.
Furthermore, 12% were not at all worried about the accuracy of the news they encountered on social media, and 9% had no opinion.
Source: Statista.
Spread Of Fake News Through News Networks
In today’s media landscape, news networks play a major role in shaping and influencing the public’s perception. However, this powerful position has also exposed the threat of misinformation spreading through news networks.
Here are further details about the role played by news networks in the spread of fake news.
12) 44% Of News Consumers Don’t Trust News From Traditional Sources
Over 51% of the millennials said they do not trust traditional news organizations.
Further, only 61% of the adults in the United States trust national news, while 71% trust local news.
However, 84% of news consumers try to get news from sources they know, review, and verify stories before publishing.
Source: Deloitte, Statista
13) Only 28% Of The Adults In The United States Trust The New Media
The lowest level of trust in the news media is recorded in Greece. Only 19% of the country’s residents trust the news media.
On the other hand, the highest trust in the news media is seen in Finland. 56% of the adults in Finland trust their news media.
Further, only 33% of adults in the United Kingdom trust the news media.
Source: Statista, Gallup News
Effect Of Fake News On Politics
Nearly one in three U.S. adults (32%) say they often see fake political news online, 39% sometimes see such stories, and 26% hardly ever or never do.
Let’s take a look at further facts and figures related to the spread of fake news about politics.
14) 70% Of Americans Feel That Fake News Has Impacted Their Confidence In The Government
There is an increase in political misinformation on social media as we approach the elections. This fake news persists until after the election, when all the votes are counted.
There was research that revealed undecided voters were more likely to vote for President Trump in the 2016 election if they believed the fake news about Hillary Clinton.
Source: UCF.
15) More Than 40% Of Visits To 65 Fake News Sites Come From Social Media Compared To About 10% Of Visits To 690 Top Us News Sites
According to a 2017 Journal of Economic Perspectives study, social media drives more users to fake news sites than real ones.
This leads to the rapid spread of fake political news on social media.
In the 2016 presidential election, the 20 most popular false stories got more shares, reactions, and comments (8.7 million engagements) than the most popular 20 real news stories (7.3 million engagements).
Role Of AI In Fake News
AI plays a significant role in the spread of misinformation. Cybercriminals use various AI tools like deepfake to create and spread false information.
Additionally, more than 90% of the information available on the internet is altered with the usage of AI. In this section, let’s examine how AI plays a major role in spreading misinformation.
16) 93% Of Social Media Videos Are Now Synthetically Generated, With Many Using AI for Manipulation
As per the FBI report, since 2017, unidentified individuals have created fake online profiles for nonexistent journalists and generated articles using these falsified identities and AI.
Some print and online media outlets have also published these fraudulent articles.
These profiles also included synthetically generated images, fabricated backstories, and a list of accomplishments that boosted the authenticity of the individuals that never existed.
FBI further adds that within the next 12 to 18 months, digital content manipulation technologies will evolve and improve. At the same time, cybercriminals will continue sharpening their skills, leading to the spread of further misinformation.
Source: Forbes.
Economic Impact of Fake News
Information is a driving force behind economic growth and stability. However, the rapid spread of fake news poses a huge danger to economic development worldwide. Here are further details about the effect of fake news on economic development.
17) Fake News Costs The Global Economy $78 Billion Annually
A study done by cybersecurity company CHEQ with the University of Baltimore found that the epidemic of online fake news costs the global economy $78 billion annually.
This data was calculated in 2019, but due to the rise of AI-driven fraud, experts suggest the figure could be much higher in 2026.
The report further highlights that fake news causes a loss of $39 billion per year to the stock market value.
The following table displays the further economic losses caused by fake news worldwide.
| Economic Sector | Economic Losses Caused By Fake News Worldwide |
|---|---|
| Stock market | $39 billion |
| Financial misinformation | $17 billion |
| Reputation Management | $9.54 billion |
| Public Health Misinformation | $9 billion |
| Online Platform Safety | $3 billion |
| Political Spending | $0.4 billion |
| Brand safety | $0.25 billion |
Source: CHEQ.
18) 94% of Americans fact-check Their News Sources
This is the main reason why around 28% of Americans stopped watching mainstream news channels, because not all news is correct. 76% of Americans use social media daily. 47% trusted traditional media less than a year ago.
Around 42% of Facebook users encounter false information almost every time they use the platform. Only 28% of Americans trust mass media, according to Gallup. This is huge dip in the last 5 years (since 2020), where 40% of Americans had a trust in mass media.
Source: Gallup, Security.org
19) 72% of adults across 25 nations consider the spread of false information online to be a major threat to their country
82% of Liberal Americans and 60% of Conservative Americans agree that false information online is a major threat.
49% of global citizens report that their distrust in the internet compels them to disclose less personal information online.
Source: Pew Research. Ipsos Global
Conclusion: Approx 62% Of Online News Contains False Information
The data confirms an unsettling truth that more than half of the internet’s content is false, and social media platforms are at the heart of the issue.
Three in ten Americans believe in fake news, while 67% encounter it daily on social media.
AI is also fueling the problem, with 93% of social media videos now synthetically generated. From eroding trust in politics to costing the global economy $78 billion annually, the implications are far-reaching.
As misinformation continues to blur the lines between fact and fiction, understanding these statistics is the first step toward building a more informed digital society.
