According to Statista, 5.45 billion people use the internet worldwide as of 2024, accounting for 67.1% of the global population.
India has the highest number of internet users worldwide, with over 1.24 billion people accessing the internet.
Several factors drive the growth of internet users, including the increasing affordability of smartphones and mobile data and the growing popularity of online services such as e-commerce, streaming video, and social media.
Let’s get into details about the number of internet users worldwide by country, user demographics, and additional insights in this article.
Top Internet User Statistics 2024
- There are 5.45 billion internet users worldwide.
- 67.1% of the world’s population uses the internet.
- India has the highest number of internet users, with 1.24 billion, followed by China, with 1.13 billion, and the United States, with 323.56 million.
- On average, a person spends 6 hours and 31 minutes using the internet every day.
- 95.9% of internet users primarily use smartphones to browse the internet.
- Social media is used by 95% of internet users worldwide, accounting for 5.17 billion social media users.
How Many People Use The Internet In The World?
As of the third quarter of 2024, 5.45 billion people worldwide use the Internet.
The number of Internet users worldwide grew by 167 million between July 2023 and 2024, or 3.2% year over year.
Here is a table displaying the number of internet users by year:
| Year | Number of Internet Users | Percentage Increase |
|---|---|---|
| July 2024 | 5.45 billion | 3.2% |
| July 2023 | 5.28 billion | 2.8% |
| July 2022 | 5.14 billion | 4.7% |
| July 2021 | 4.91 billion | 6.0% |
| July 2020 | 4.63 billion | 11% |
| July 2019 | 4.18 billion | 8.7% |
| July 2018 | 3.85 billion | 7% |
| July 2017 | 3.60 billion | 11% |
| July 2016 | 3.24 billion | 9.2% |
| July 2015 | 2.97 billion | 7.7% |
Source: Date Reportal
What Percent Of The World Uses The Internet?
As per the latest data, 67.1% of the global population uses the Internet.
These figures display that the share of the world population having access to the internet has increased significantly, with just 50% of the global population having internet access in 2017.
The following table displays the share of the world population using the internet over the year:
| Year | Percentage of the World Population Using The Internet |
|---|---|
| July 2024 | 67.1% |
| Apr 2024 | 67.1% |
| Jan 2024 | 66.2% |
| Oct 2023 | 65.7% |
| Jul 2023 | 64.5% |
| 2022 | 62.5% |
| 2021 | 59.5% |
| 2020 | 59% |
| 2019 | 57% |
| 2018 | 53% |
| 2017 | 50% |
| 2016 | 46% |
Source: Statista
How Many People Use The Internet In The United States?
As of 2024, 323.56 million people in the United States use the Internet.
That’s equivalent to 94.6% of the Americans who use the internet.
Besides, this is an increase of 1.54% in the number of internet users in the US compared to 318.66 million recorded in 2023.
Further, by the end of 2029, 343.48 million, or 98% of the people in the United States, are estimated to use the Internet.
Here is a table showing the number of internet users in the United States by Year:
| Year | Number of Internet Users In The US |
|---|---|
| 2029* | 343.48 million |
| 2028* | 340.46 million |
| 2027* | 336.6 million |
| 2026* | 332.51 million |
| 2025* | 328.16 million |
| 2024 | 323.56 million |
| 2023 | 318.66 million |
| 2022 | 313.6 million |
| 2021 | 308.6 million |
| 2020 | 301.78 million |
Source: Statista *Projected numbers
Number Of Internet Users By Country
India has the highest number of Internet users worldwide, with 1.24 billion people using the Internet.
According to the latest data recorded in 2023, China follows India with 1.13 billion internet users.
Meanwhile, the United States has the third highest number of Internet users worldwide.
The following table displays the countries with the highest number of internet users by country as per the data recorded in 2023:
| Country | Number Of Internet Users |
|---|---|
| India | 1,240 million |
| China | 1,134 million |
| United States | 319 million |
| Indonesia | 272 million |
| Brazil | 177 million |
| Nigeria | 135 million |
| Russia | 127 million |
| Japan | 102 million |
| Mexico | 96 million |
| Bangladesh | 88 million |
| Egypt | 85 million |
Source: Statista
Global Internet Penetration
The global internet penetration rate is 67.1% as of July 2024.
As per the latest data, the internet penetration rate was highest in North Europe, with 97.5% of the population using the internet.
On the other hand, Eastern Africa had the lowest internet penetration rate worldwide. Just 26.8% of the population in the region used Internet.
Here are further details about the global internet penetration rate by region:
- Northern Europe: 97.5%
- Northern America: 96.9%
- Western Europe: 94.5%
- Southern Europe: 90.2%
- Eastern Europe: 88.4%
- Southern America: 82.6%
- Central America: 78.4%
- Eastern Asia: 77.7%
- Oceania: 77.4%
- Central Asia: 76.5%
- Southern Africa: 75.9%
- Western Asia: 75.3%
- South-Eastern Asia: 74%
- Caribbean: 70.3%
- Northern Africa: 70.1%
- Southern Asia: 53.6%
- Western Africa: 42.3%
- Middle Africa: 32.2%
- Eastern Africa: 26.8%
Internet Usage Statistics
The typical internet user spends around 6 hours and 31 minutes online each day.
That is a decrease of 4 minutes spent on the internet compared to 6 hours and 35 minutes spent online by internet users.
The time spent on the internet worldwide peaked during the COVID period. However, it has decreased in the past quarters.
The following table displays the verge time spent online by internet users worldwide as of Q1 2024:
| Quarter | Average Time Spent Using The Internet |
|---|---|
| Q1 2024 | 6 hours 31 minutes |
| Q4 2023 | 6 hours 35 minutes |
| Q3 2023 | 6 hours 40 minutes |
| Q2 2023 | 6 hours 41 minutes |
| Q1 2023 | 6 hours 40 minutes |
| Q4 2022 | 6 hours 35 minutes |
| Q3 2022 | 6 hours 36 minutes |
| Q2 2022 | 6 hours 37 minutes |
| Q1 2022 | 6 hours 49 minutes |
Source: Data Reporal
95.9% of internet users worldwide access the internet through mobile phones.
In comparison, 62.2% of internet users worldwide used laptops or desktops to access the internet.
Meanwhile, just 27.6% of the users access the internet through their tablets.
The following table displays the share of internet users worldwide accessing the internet by device as of Q1 2024:
| Device | Share of Internet Users |
|---|---|
| Mobile phone (any) | 95.9% |
| Smartphone | 93.7% |
| Laptop or desktop (any) | 62.2% |
| Personal laptop or desktop | 54% |
| Connected television | 31.6% |
| Work laptop or desktop | 27.7% |
| Tablet device | 27.6% |
| Smart home device | 18.1% |
| Games console | 11.5% |
| Feature phone | 4.5% |
| Virtual reality device | 4.4% |
Source: Statista, Data Reportal
Internet User Gender Demographics
64.4% of the female population worldwide use the internet as of Q3 2024.
Meanwhile, 69.8% of the male population worldwide uses the internet.
That’s a 5% YoY increase in the percentage of the female population using the internet and a 4.3% YoY increase in the percentage of the male population using the internet.
Source: Data Reportal
Did You Know? More than 73% of Gen Alpha users use the internet. To learn more about this generation, refer to our article on Gen Alpha Statistics.
96% of women and 94% of men in the United States use the internet.
According to the latest data, the share of the male population worldwide using the internet has remained the same since 2021, while the share of the female population using the internet has jumped from 93% to 96%.
Here is a table showing the distribution of internet users in the U.S. by gender:
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 94% | 96% |
| 2021 | 94% | 93% |
| 2019 | 90% | 91% |
| 2018 | 89% | 88% |
| 2016 | 89% | 86% |
Source: Pew Research
Internet User Age Demographics
98% of adults aged 30 to 49 years access the internet in the United States.
The majority of adults in this age group have access to the internet.
Conversely, just 88% of people over 65 years old access the internet in the United States.
The following table displays the share of adults in different age groups accessing the Internet in the United States.
| Age Group | Share of Internet Users |
|---|---|
| 18-29 years | 97% |
| 30-49 years | 98% |
| 50-64 years | 96% |
| Over 65 years | 88% |
Source: Pew Research
Mobile Internet Usage
As of Q1 2024, 95.9% of internet users use a smartphone to access the internet, a 0.3% increase year over year.
However, compared to Q4 2023, the share of mobile internet users has declined by 0.4%. 96.3% of internet users made use of mobile phones to access the internet in the past quarter.
Here are further details about the percentage of internet users using mobile phones to access the internet as of Q1 2024:
- Q1 2024: 95.9%
- Q4 2023: 96.3%
- Q3 2023: 96.5%
- Q2 2023: 95.8%
- Q1 2023: 95.3%
Source: Data Reportal
308.67 million people in the United States are estimated to use mobile phones to access the internet.
That’s a YoY increase of 4.79% compared to 294.55 million mobile internet users recorded in the United States in 2023.
Further, the number of mobile internet users in the United States is estimated to reach 324.25 million by 2029.
The following table displays the number of mobile internet users in the United States by year.
| Year | Number of Mobile Internet Users |
|---|---|
| 2029* | 324.25 million |
| 2028* | 321.85 million |
| 2027* | 319.35 million |
| 2026* | 316.74 million |
| 2025* | 314.01 million |
| 2024* | 308.67 million |
| 2023 | 294.55 million |
| 2022 | 279.85 million |
| 2021 | 264.75 million |
| 2020 | 255.95 million |
Source: Statista *Projected numbers
As of Q1 2024, the average person spends 3 hours and 43 minutes per day using the internet on their mobile phone.
This marks a 6-minute decrease from the 3 hours and 49 minutes recorded in Q4 2023 and a 4-minute drop compared to the 3 hours and 47 minutes of mobile internet usage in Q1 2023.
Source: Data Reportal.
54.67% of web traffic originates from mobile devices.
Since early 2017, traffic from mobiles and smartphones has remained steady around the 50% mark, eventually exceeding it in 2020.
Source: Statista
Search Engine Statistics
Each month, 81.8% of internet users turn to search engines.
The share of internet users using search engines has been stable between 80% and 83% since Q1 2022.
Source: Data Reportal
As of August 2024, Google dominates the global search engine market with a 90.48% share, maintaining the top spot.
Bing follows in second place with 3.93%, while Yandex holds 1.95%. Baidu and DuckDuckGo account for just 0.79% and 0.64% of the global search engine market, respectively.
This stability of Google highlights the enduring role of search engines as the go-to resource for information among internet users.
Source: Stats Counter
As of August 2024, Google holds 94.69% of the global mobile search engine market, solidifying its dominance.
Yandex ranks second, making it the world’s second-most-used mobile search engine.
Baidu accounts for 0.88%, while Bing captures 0.75% of the mobile market. Meanwhile, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo hold smaller shares at 0.6% and 0.54%, respectively.
Source: Stats Counter.
Additional Search Engine Statistics
- 8.5 billion searches take place on Google every single day. That converts to 99,000 searches per second.
- More than 1 billion voice searches take place every month.
- Google Lens is used for 8 billion visual searches per month.
Social Media Usage Statistics
95% of the internet users worldwide use social media
5.17 billion people worldwide use social media, accounting for 63.7% of the total worldwide population as of 2024.
Besides, users typically spend an average of 2 hours and 20 minutes each day on social media platforms.
Here is a table displaying the number of social media users recorded over the years:
| Year | Number of Social Media Users |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 5.17 billion |
| 2023 | 4.90 billion |
| 2022 | 4.59 billion |
| 2021 | 4.26 billion |
| 2020 | 3.9 billion |
| 2019 | 3.51 billion |
| 2018 | 3.1 billion |
| 2017 | 2.73 billion |
Source: Data reportal, Statista
Facebook was the first social media platform to surpass more than one billion account registrations. Today, it holds the position as the #1 social media platform in terms of users, too, with 3.07 billion users.
Here is a table representing the active users on different social media platforms:
| Social Media Platform | Number of Users |
|---|---|
| 3.07 billion | |
| Youtube | 2.50 billion |
| 2 billion | |
| 2 billion | |
| TikTok | 1.60 billion |
| 1.36 billion | |
| Facebook Messenger | 977 million |
| Telegram | 900 million |
| Snapchat | 800 million |
Source: Data Reportal
As of early 2024, the United States has approximately 339 million social media users.
This figure represents 70.1% of the total internet users in the country.
Source: Data Reportal
Conclusion: 5.45 Billion People Worldwide Use The Internet As Of 2024
That’s 67.1% of the population worldwide.
Besides, 323.56 million people in the United States use the Internet, accounting for 94.6% of the country’s population.
Mobile devices account for the highest internet usage worldwide, whereas desktops account for the third highest share.
The global share of internet users has surged significantly in recent years, driven by the widespread availability of the internet, increased smartphone adoption, and global digitalization.
