33 Essential Internet Usage Statistics — U.S. & Worldwide (2025)

Growing up, I thought the World Wide Web (WWW) and the internet were the same thing, but they’re not. You can think of the internet as a massive, multi-lane interstate, and the World Wide Web as the cars traveling on it.

In this context, “cars” help us access information on the internet through websites. Other “vehicles” that travel on the internet include mail trucks (email), delivery vans (streaming apps), and freight trucks (file transfers). Simple, right?

While the modern internet came into existence on January 1, 1983, its roots can be traced back to 1969, with the ARPANET project.¹ That’s just the first of many fun internet usage statistics and analogies I have up my sleeve; Read on to learn all of them!

My nephew developed a taste for Punjabi rap when he was just six months old — he used to sway to the beats of Shubh’s “Still Rollin.” He’s three years old now and is almost always watching an episode of “Peppa Pig” on his mother’s smartphone.

In comparison, my first internet experience was when I was seven or eight years old (the good old Orkut days)! The internet is now reaching people of all ages.

1. There Are Nearly 5.6 Billion Global Internet Users

There are more than 8.22 billion people in the world, so if you’re single right now, go and find your soulmate!² If you don’t have the confidence to approach someone in person, don’t worry — around 5.56 billion of them use the internet.³

2. The Majority (67.8%) of the Global Population Uses the Internet

Running the numbers from my first statistic shows that nearly 68% of the world population uses the internet.³ Now, I know what you really want to know: “How many of them use social media?” About 5.24 billion people, or in other words, more than 94% of internet users are on social media.⁴

3. The Number of Internet Users Has Grown by 444.7% Since 2005

From about 1.02 billion global internet users in 2005 to 5.56 billion users today — that’s quite the growth trajectory, right? To provide perspective, the number of internet users has grown by an extraordinary 444.70%, and this is just the beginning.³

Let’s take things one step further, shall we? Considering the number of internet users has grown at an annual rate of approximately 5.10% between 2019 and 2025, I expect there to be around 7.13 billion internet users by 2030.⁴

Some of the world’s biggest tech companies were founded in the U.S., so it doesn’t surprise me that Americans spend a lot of time online.

Companies like Amazon, Apple, Meta, Google, and Microsoft were built right in the The States. Let’s see how many Americans are using the internet to access these sites and more.

4. Internet User Penetration Stands at 94.2% in the U.S.

Are you an American? If so, you’re among the 94.2% of the U.S. population that has access to and actively uses the internet. For a population of nearly 347 million, that’s an impressive number of users.^5,6

I’m sure most of them can’t imagine a life without it! I reckon I could live for a couple of months off the grid — but not more than that.

5. The Number of U.S. Internet Users Is Expected to Reach 337 Million By 2029

I was curious to know if internet user penetration in the U.S. would increase substantially in the coming years.

Thanks to the internet (you see what I did there?), I found the data to quench my curiosity: around 95.4% of the American population is expected to be online by 2029. That basically translates to an estimated 337.7 million internet users in the country by then.^6,7

6. The Majority (97.9%) of U.S. Internet Users Use Mobile Phones

A whopping 320.4 million people, or 97.9% of US internet users, use their mobile phones to access the internet. Many of them also go online through other devices, including laptops, desktop computers, and tablets.⁸

The real question is: which smartphone brand is the most popular in the United States? It’s a no-brainer — Apple.

7. The Number of Smartphone Users in the U.S. Will Soar to 364.2 Million by 2040

There were just 190.3 million smartphone users in the country in 2014 — the year I graduated from high school. The number of smartphone users has increased by nearly 69% since then! And if that didn’t get you off your seat, wait for this: the number of smartphone users in the U.S. is forecasted to rise to 364.2 million by 2040.⁸

I wonder if Samsung will be able to match Apple’s might by then (probably not)!

I traveled to Dubai last year — my first solo international trip — and had a great time. Upon arrival at Dubai International Airport, I received a complimentary tourist SIM card (with one GB of free data) after clearing immigration.

After I completed the verification process, it was activated in just a few minutes. My first course of action? Purchase an AT&T International Day Pass for $12! Let’s explore some international internet usage statistics.

Countries with the highest internet usage:

If you’re planning an international trip, staying connected during your travels has never been easier — telecom carriers ensure you can access the internet almost anywhere. The top countries with the highest internet usage include China, India, and the U.S.⁹

8. Indonesia Has 212 Million Internet Users

If you scanned through my table of countries with the most internet users, you know Indonesia features in the top five, with 212 million internet users.

Brazil (183 million), Russia (133 million), Pakistan (116 million), Mexico (110 million), Japan (109 million), and Nigeria (107 million) rank fifth through 110th.⁹ I’m just as surprised as you are to learn the UK has only 67.8 million internet users.

Given the amount of stick the British press and fans give to Manchester United players, I expected the country to have more than 100 million internet users!

9. An Astounding 99% of the Population Uses the Internet in Norway

Speaking of international travel, Norway is high up on my bucket list — who wouldn’t want to see the Northern Lights? Stunning natural landscapes and thrilling outdoor activities aren’t the only things Norway is famous for: 99% of Norway’s population uses the internet.

And it’s not just Norway that can boast of an almost-perfect “internet literacy” rate; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also fall into this bracket.¹⁰ No wonder these tourist attractions are so popular.

10. Asia Has the Largest Number of Internet Users (3.37 Billion)

If you have a travel bug, the rich history, cultural diversity, and spectacular natural wonders in Asia will leave you a changed person. Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam are great destinations if you’re a first-timer! Contrary to what you might read online, Asia is well-connected to the internet.

In fact, with nearly 3.4 billion internet users, Asia has more users than any other continent. North America is a distant second with around 474 million users.¹¹

11. Chinese Internet Users Spend Around 5 Hours and 35 Minutes Online Daily

If you travel to China in 2026, you might just see flying cars — thousands of vehicles have already been pre-ordered.¹² No wonder Chinese internet users spend around five hours and 35 minutes online each day — they must be honing their “craft!”¹³

12. India Has 806 Million Internet Users

Have you been to India? You’re missing out if you haven’t. If Old Trafford is the “Theatre of Dreams,” India is the land of dreams.

It’s a rising global superpower in tech and innovation. And given that just 55% of the Indian population is online, the best is yet to come. I hope to see an Indian footballer make it in the big leagues in my lifetime!^9,14

13. More Than 655 Million Indian Citizens Are Not Connected to the Internet

India may soon overtake China as the country with the most internet users.

The infrastructure is there, and large-scale plans are underway to ramp up internet access. So, this one’s for the 655 million Indians who are offline — your time will come.^9,14

14. The Internet Penetration Rate in India is 55%

India hasn’t had the best of times with internet adoption — hundreds of millions of Indians live in rural areas.

It’s not that they don’t have access to facilities. Some people just prefer things as they are. My grandmother, for example, doesn’t want to use a smartphone. I even bought one for her, but had to return it.

There is a silver lining: the internet penetration rate in India was just 40% in 2019 — it’s now 55%.^14,15 I’m rooting for India, and I’m confident this figure will be much higher in the next 10 years.

15. Roughly 312 Million Chinese Citizens Are Not Connected to the Internet

Speaking of China, while its population is comparable to India’s, fewer citizens aren’t connected to the internet: just ~311.90 million.

This earns China the “distinction” of being the country with the second-highest numbers of people who aren’t online. Pakistan (137.45 million), Nigeria (128.32 million), and Ethiopia (105.20 million) are also in the top five.¹⁶

16. Africa’s Internet Usage Rate Is 38%

Let’s shift our focus to Africa, a continent whose people I closely associate with dance, music, and sports.

Unfortunately, African countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (77.05 million), Tanzania (49.30 million), and Uganda (36.51 million) have a high number of people without internet access.

African Countries With the Highest Internet Usage Rate

It pains me to say that educational barriers, infrastructure gaps, and affordability issues have left 62% of Africans offline.¹⁷ This needs to change — and soon.

17. Africa’s Internet Usage Rate Will Rise to 69% by 2029

Did you know people in several parts of Africa skipped the desktop era altogether? Yeah, their first foray into the internet was with a smartphone!

Considering how you can do almost anything with a smartphone these days (and how affordable they’ve become), I’m pleased to say Africa’s internet usage rate is forecasted to rise to nearly 69% by 2029.¹⁸

18. Japanese Internet Users Spend 4 Hours Daily Online

While Brazilians spend roughly nine hours online each day, Japanese users spend only four hours. I’m too embarrassed to admit how much time I spend online… so let’s just skip that for now.

If you thought Brazilians spend too much time online, South Africans take the cake with a mind-boggling nine hours and 24 minutes spent online each day!¹⁹

Keep in mind, this represents time spent online on any device, so work hours are factored in.

While I rarely visit Google.com nowadays, the website I use the most is a part of the Google Workspace. Can you guess which one? It’s simple: docs.google.com! I spend between four and five hours using Google Docs each day.

Most visited websites:

Which website do you visit the most daily? And if it starts with p… don’t bother — you need help. I’m talking about Pinterest, of course!²⁰

19. Google.com Is Visited 136 Million Times Monthly

Google.com is the world’s most popular website, with more than 136 million monthly visits.

I predict YouTube.com will soon overtake Google.com as the most visited website.²⁰ And no, I’m not a fool to think AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Bard, Bing Chat, and Grok will replace Google — they’re complementary, not replacements.

You can think of these tools as the mashed potatoes and roasted veggies to the steak that is Google. I just think YouTube will eventually catch up and take the top spot — it’s the leader in the video content space.

20. ChatGPT.com Has 4.75 Billion Monthly Visits

Until last year, I couldn’t go a few minutes without searching for something on Google — I’m a curious man (no, seriously, my curiosity is overpowering). Now, I use ChatGPT whenever I can — it makes my life simpler.

If I want to buy a product, book a flight ticket, or check a stock price, I prefer Google — Google is the platform for real-time, up-to-date information. I’m genuinely happy ChatGPT.com is the 9th-most-visited website in the world, with 4.75 billion visits every month — artificial intelligence is here to stay.²⁰

21. X.com Has 4.29 Billion Visits Each Month

I have another prediction for you: X.com will be among the top five most visited websites globally by the end of 2026.

It currently has 4.29 billion monthly visits, and while you might be divided on Elon Musk and his ways, there’s no doubting the platform’s potential — if he’s able to execute the super app concept, X.com could become the international version of WeChat.²⁰

Do you think Musk can challenge Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram?

The older you are, the less likely you are to use the internet — only around 21.5% of all internet users are 45 or older.

Internet usage by age:

My generation, aged between 25 and 34, contributes to about 35.6% of the total online population.²¹

22. Internet Usage Penetration Is Highest in the 18 to 34 Age Bracket

If you see someone who is between 18 and 34 years of age, the likelihood of them being on the internet is pretty high. I mean, of the roughly 5.5 billion people online, 54.6% fall into this category.²¹

I wonder what the numbers are for those who are 13 or younger, considering my nephew, who’s three, has been “online” since he was a few months old!

23. About 4.2% of Internet Users Are 65+

According to Statista, only 4.2% of the 5.5 billion internet users are 65 or older. I’m not sure if this is entirely accurate.²¹

Sure, my grandmother, who’s 74, doesn’t have a smartphone or an email account. But she watches her favorite shows on a flatscreen television that’s connected to the internet. Technically, that makes her an internet user. Thoughts?

24. Roughly 62.3% of Instagram Users Are Aged 18-34

I deactivated my Instagram account in December 2024, and I’m relieved — I wasted a lot of time on the app. In fact, I’m off social media altogether!

To put it into perspective, internet users spend around 143 minutes on social media daily.

If you’re an Instagram user between 18 and 34, you’re among 62.3% of all Instagram users — which is in the billions.^21,22

I’ve never told anyone how much I earn, so I guess it makes me a little bit of a hypocrite to talk about other people’s money. If you hesitate talking about your finances too, don’t worry — we’re here to talk about internet usage statistics by other people’s incomes!²³

Internet usage by income:

25. Approximately 93% of People Aged 25+ in High Income Countries Use the Internet

If you live in a high-income country, I’d bet a thousand bucks you use the internet! The numbers don’t lie: 93% of people aged 25 or older in these countries use the internet. You can count countries like the United States, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan on that list.²³

26. Only 23% of People Who Are 25+ in Low Income Countries Are Online

Unfortunately, we have to look at the other end of the spectrum too. If you live in a low income country like Ethiopia, Haiti, Mozambique, Somalia, or Sudan, and are 25 years or older, you’re blessed — you’re one of the few, just one in four, who have the privilege of being online.²³

27. About 91% of Americans With an Annual Income of Less Than $30k Use the Internet

Most of the United States is connected to the internet. If you’re part of an American household with an income of more than $100,000, you probably have a smart home and can’t live without the internet — 99% of people in this income bracket are online.

Households with an income of less than $30,000 aren’t as far behind as you may think — 91% use the internet.²⁴

My sister is in her early 20s and takes social media a little too seriously — if someone unfollows her on Instagram, she stops talking to them altogether. And she’s not the only one!

Her entire friend circle treats Instagram like a religion — the more followers you have, the higher your social status. I had around 600 followers during my peak Instagram years and turned out just fine. Here are some stats on social media usage that can make (or break) your day.

28. A Staggering 5.24 Billion People Use Social Media

Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Snapchat are addictive — I used to spend hours on them. I know I said I’m off social media completely, but you know that’s a half-truth — I use LinkedIn and X strictly for work purposes.

If you use any social media app, you’re among the 5.24 billion people worldwide who use social media in some shape or form.²⁵

29. Facebook Is the Most Popular Social Media Platform With 3.07 Billion Monthly Users

I don’t even remember when I ditched my Facebook account — maybe 10 years ago? Facebook was once a vibe, and while it’s still around, social media apps like Instagram and TikTok have taken over.

I have to give it its flowers, though — it was the first social media platform to surpass the 1 billion mark registered users. As of today, it’s still the leading social media platform, with around 3.07 billion active monthly users.

Can you guess which social media app has 2.53 billion users each month?²⁶ YouTube.

30. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger Have a Combined 8 Billion Monthly Users

Mark Zuckerberg must be earning a lot of money — Meta Platforms owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger, and these platforms have a combined 8 billion users each month!²⁶

Of course, there’s a lot of overlap, but still, the numbers are super impressive. I can proudly say I just use one of these apps — WhatsApp. Wait… does WhatsApp really count as a social media app?

All good things come to an end, so let’s wrap up this party with a few more interesting stats.

31. The First Internet Model Was Born on October 29, 1969

When were you born? If you were born on October 29, you share your birthday with the internet — the first “feasible” model of the internet delivered a message from a University of California computer to a Stanford University computer on October 29, 1969. I wonder what the message was.²⁷

The project was led by the Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPANET) and was a bittersweet success (like Warheads). The message was only partially delivered, but hey, at least the internet was born!

32. The World Wide Web Was Invented in 1989

There’s no room for confusion here: the internet and the World Wide Web are related but distinct. While the internet came to life in 1969, the World Wide Web was invented by Timothy John Berners-Lee, a cool 20 years later — in 1989.²⁸

33. Google Was Founded in 1998

Have you heard of Larry Page or Sergey Brin? They came up with the idea of a search engine for the World Wide Web in 1995 from their Stanford dorm room — good ideas can have humble beginnings.

The idea came to fruition in 1998 in the form of the Google search engine.²⁹ A trillion-dollar company was born — and the rest is history.

The internet is more than 50 years old, and unlike you and me, is no closer to its retirement than it was 10 years ago — it’ll never go out of fashion.

It’s becoming faster and more powerful, and the coming years are likely to change our lives forever with new technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. If these statistics show us anything, it’s that the internet is just getting started. Who knows, maybe in 2040 children will attend school in the metaverse!

1. https://www.history.com/articles/invention-of-the-internet
2. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population
3. https://www.statista.com/statistics/273018/number-of-internet-users-worldwide
4. https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide
5. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/us-population
6. https://www.statista.com/statistics/325645/usa-number-of-internet-users
7. https://www.populationpyramid.net/united-states-of-america/2029
8. https://www.statista.com/statistics/201182/forecast-of-smartphone-users-in-the-us
9. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries
10. https://www.statista.com/statistics/227082/countries-with-the-highest-internet-penetration-rate
11. https://www.statista.com/statistics/249562/number-of-worldwide-internet-users-by-region
12. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/china-ev-xpeng-flying-cars-low-altitude-economy-4992756
13. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1053903/china-time-spent-with-online-media-by-type
14. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/india-population
15. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1115129/india-internet-penetration-by-state
16. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1155552/countries-highest-number-lacking-internet
17. https://www.statista.com/statistics/265149/internet-penetration-rate-by-region
18. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1137858/household-internet-penetration-forecast-in-africa
19. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1258232/daily-time-spent-online-worldwide
20. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1201880/most-visited-websites-worldwide
21. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272365/age-distribution-of-internet-users-worldwide
22. https://www.statista.com/statistics/248769/age-distribution-of-worldwide-instagram-users
23. https://www.statista.com/statistics/209099/internet-usage-age-distribution-global-income-level
24. https://www.statista.com/statistics/327146/internet-penetration-usa-income
25. https://backlinko.com/social-media-users
26. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users
27. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/history-of-internet
28. https://home.cern/science/computing/birth-web/short-history-web
29. https://www.britannica.com/money/Google-Inc