As of April 2024, the number of internet users worldwide reached 5.44 billion, which accounts for 67.1 percent of the global population. Among these users, 5.07 billion people were active social media users, representing 62.6 percent of the world’s population. The internet plays a vital role in connecting billions of people across the globe and has become a fundamental component of modern information society.
In 2023, Northern Europe was at the forefront of internet usage with countries like Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates having a 99 percent internet penetration rate. On the other hand, North Korea had remarkably low internet usage among its population, ranking last worldwide. Asia had the highest number of online users with over 2.93 billion followed closely by Europe with approximately 750 million users.
Countries such as China, India, and the United States led in terms of the sheer number of internet users in 2023.
Furthermore, income levels played a significant role in internet access with 92 percent of high-income countries’ populations utilizing the internet compared to only 26 percent in low-income markets.
In terms of gender disparity in internet usage in 2023, there was a global gender gap that stood at 63 percent for women six percent lower than men. However, this divide was more substantial in regions like Arab States and Africa where there was a ten percent difference between male and female internet users.
Young people aged 15-24 had the highest internet usage rates across all regions with Europe leading at an impressive 98 percent penetration rate while globally averaging at about seven and a half percentage points lower.
Overall, it is evident that despite its importance in modern life; access to the internet is still unevenly distributed across different regions and socio-economic groups worldwide.