Research Summary: For well over a decade now, the internet has permeated our everyday lives. We use it to keep in touch with our friends, share our opinions, and watch hours of endless entertainment. According to our extensive research:
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There are 4.9 billion active internet users worldwide. That’s 62% of the world’s total population.
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Only 361 million people used the internet worldwide in 2000 (6% of the world’s population at the time).
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A whopping 93% of Americans currently use the internet.
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There are roughly 500,000 new internet users every single day.
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38% of the world’s population still doesn’t use the internet, As of 2022.
Internet Usage In America And The World Statistics by: U.S. Data | Internet Usage | Regional | Mobile | Common Internet Activities | Heavy Internet Use | Website, Browser, and Search Engine
How Many People Use the Internet: Trends and Projections
The internet already dominates much of the world, but that doesn’t mean its use won’t continue to grow. In the U.S. and abroad, we can expect to see it becoming even more prevalent as time goes on. Here are some interesting trends and predictions:
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From 2005 to 2021, the number of global internet users has increased by 400%.
In 2005, the number of global internet users rose just above 1 billion, while currently, there are 4.9 billion users. Such a large increase means there’s been a steady stream of new internet users for over 15 years straight.
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There are up to 27,000 new internet users every single hour.
And per day, that number can reach over 500,000 new users. No wonder there were 316 million new internet users between 2020 and 2021.
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Global internet users are currently growing at an annual rate of 4%.
While that might not seem like a lot, the sheer size of internet users in 2021 means that there are over half a million new users every single day. For example, if there are 4.9 billion users at the start of 2022, a 4% annual increase would equate to 196 million new users in only a year.
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Between 2021 and 2022, there were 268 million new smartphone users globally.
At the start of 2021, there were roughly 6.38 billion new smartphone users worldwide, and that number has jumped to 6.65 billion as of 2022. That’s an increase of 4% annually.
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There will be a projected 7.5 billion internet users by 2030.
That’s a staggering 90% of the predicted population of 8.5 billion and considerably more internet users than there are currently.
How Many People Use the Internet: U.S. Data
As the birthplace of the internet, the U.S. is a popular place for internet users. Within the past 20 years, a massive number of Americans have been moving more and more of their lives online. Here are the facts:
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As of 2022, there are 307.34 million internet users in the United States.
That’s a 120% increase from 2012, when the number of internet users was 255.26 million. That’s an increase of 52 million new users in only a decade in a country with less than 40 million new births over the same time frame.
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85% of Americans use the internet every day.
And of that 85%, 48% report accessing the internet several times a day, while a considerable 31% say they are using the internet almost constantly.
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As of 2021, the U.S. makes up only 6% of internet users worldwide.
While the U.S. is the birthplace of the internet and had a majority of its early users, U.S. users now make up only a fraction of global users. That’s because countries like China, India, Brazil, and others also have a large number of internet users.
How Many People Use the Internet: Internet Usage Statistics
If daily use of the internet is anything to go by, Americans and others around the world are relying on the web more than ever before. With that in mind, we’ve gathered some vital statistics about traffic and internet usage around the globe:
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As of 2020, the average internet user spends at least 145 minutes online per day.
That’s 2.4 hours per day and nearly 17 hours per week. For Americans, these numbers are even higher, with the average user spending 204 minutes (3.4 hours) per day and 24 hours per week online.
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In the past decade, the amount of time spent on the internet has increased by 62%.
In 2012, the average internet user only spent 90 minutes online per day (an hour and a half). However, that number has increased to nearly two and a half hours.
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Every minute, Americans generate 3,138,420 GB of internet traffic.
That’s an immense amount of data but pales in comparison to global numbers. Believe it or not, 6.59 billion GB of internet traffic is generated every second of every day.
How Many People Use the Internet: Regional Statistics
Of course, when it comes to internet usage, not every country or region is created equal. In fact, some countries can have more internet users than several others combined. Here are some interesting statistics of the regional differences in internet usage:
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China has the most internet users, at 765 million.
That’s more than double that of India, which takes second place with 391 million users. Other top countries include the United States (307 million), Brazil (126 million), Japan (116 million), and Russia (109 million).
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Bahrain has the highest internet penetration rate, with 99.70% of the population being users.
Even though China has the largest population of internet users, the share of their population being users is actually pretty low, at 54.3%. Instead, the remaining of the top five countries by internet penetration rate are Qatar (99.65%), Kuwait (99.54%), the UAE (99.15%), and Iceland (99.01%).
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The CIS region has seen the largest increase in internet penetration, from 24.3% in 2009 to 82% in 2021.
This region, made up of mostly former Soviet Union states, encompasses parts of Europe and Central Asia. Much of this increase in internet usage can be attributed to Russia, which now has 109.44 million internet users.
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Africa has the lowest internet penetration rate, at only 33%.
While this is a significant increase from only 7.6% in 2009, the current 33% is still half the amount of internet penetration as the Arab States or Asia.
| Country | Number of Internet Users (in Millions) | % of Population That Uses the Internet |
|---|---|---|
| China | 765 | 54.30% |
| India | 391 | 20.08% |
| United States | 307 | 93.00% |
| Brazil | 126 | 70.43% |
| Japan | 115 | 91.28% |
| Russia | 109 | 82.64% |
| Indonesia | 85 | 47.69% |
| Mexico | 82 | 70.07% |
| Germany | 69 | 88.13% |
| United Kingdom | 62 | 92.52% |
| Country | % Of Population That Uses The Internet | Number Of Internet Users (In Thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| Bahrain | 99.70% | 1,430 |
| Qatar | 99.65% | 2,420 |
| Kuwait | 99.54% | 4,050 |
| UAE | 99.15% | 8,910 |
| Iceland | 99.01% | 326 |
| Denmark | 98.05% | 5,570 |
| Norway | 98.00% | 5,120 |
| South Korea | 96.16% | 48,480 |
| Saudi Arabia | 95.72% | 26,380 |
| Brunei | 95.00% | 380 |
| Sweden | 94.49% | 9,550 |
| Netherlands | 93.29% | 15,880 |
| Switzerland | 93.15% | 7,940 |
| United States | 93.00% | 307,340 |
| Canada | 92.70% | 33,080 |
How Many People Use the Internet: Mobile Internet Statistics
Along with the internet, smartphones and other mobile devices have also become incredibly popular and widely used over the years. Overall, many trends seem to indicate that mobile internet usage is becoming the new norm. According to our research:
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Over the past five years (2016-2021), the mobile share of internet usage has increased from 43.7% to 55%.
In fact, in the first quarter of 2015, the mobile share of internet usage was only a third of computers and other devices (31.16%). While, as of the start of 2022, the majority of internet usage now comes from mobile devices (55%).
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By 2025, an estimated 72.6% of global smartphone owners will access the internet solely using their smartphones.
That means that by 2025 there will be over 1.3 billion people who will rely on their smartphones to access the internet worldwide.
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27% of Americans living in households earning less than $30,000 a year rely on their smartphones for internet access.
While this is by far the largest demographic, wealthier Americans are also beginning to rely on their phones for the internet as well. 11% of those making between $30,000 and $99,999 are smartphone-reliant for internet access, while 6% of those making $100,000+ are.
How Many People Use the Internet: Common Internet Activities
People wouldn’t be using the internet if there weren’t so many interesting things to do on it. From social media to online shopping, here are some interesting facts about common internet activities:
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As of 2022, there are 3.96 billion social media users worldwide.
That’s just over 50% of the world’s total population. And, from 2020-to 2021 alone, the number of social media users worldwide has increased by 180 million. Since 2017 there have been over 1 billion new users (2.86 billion to 3.96 billion).
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93.33% of global internet users use social media.
Plus, as of 2022, 40% of all internet users also use social media for their work (and 27% in the U.S. specifically).
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As of 2022, there are roughly 6.65 billion smartphone users across the world.
That’s roughly 86% of the global population. Further, at least 90% of the global internet population have used their smartphone to go online.
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Around the globe, there are at least 306 billion emails sent daily.
That’s 3.5 million emails every single second, and that number continues to increase each year. It’s easy to see why your spam folder is so full now.
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The average U.S. internet user has 8.4 social media accounts.
This can include accounts across anything from YouTube to TikTok and Facebook to Pinterest. India has one of the higher numbers for this stat, at 11.5 per user, while Japan scores the lowest with 3.8.
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62% of Americans make more than one online purchase every month.
Further, 30% shop online at least once per week, and 18% say they shop online almost daily. Trends like these are why m-commerce and e-commerce have become such booming industries.
How Many People Use the Internet: Heavy Internet Use Statistics
Similar to how internet use can vary by country, it can also vary by age, gender, and more. Unsurprisingly, some demographics use the internet more heavily than others. According to our extensive research:
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Those between the ages of 18-29 are online the most in the U.S., with 48% saying they’re online almost constantly.
Generally speaking, internet usage goes down more and more as age increases, with 42% of those between 30-49, 22% of those 50-64, and 8% of those 65+ saying they’re online almost constantly.
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Black Americans spend the most time on the internet, with 37% saying they’re online almost constantly.
Followed closely by Hispanic and Latino Americans (36%), while only 28% of White Americans say they’re online almost constantly.
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American men are slightly more likely to have heavy internet usage than women, with 32% reporting they’re online almost constantly.
Though, the numbers are extremely close, with 30% of women reporting that they’re online almost constantly. With that in mind, heavy internet usage is not as affected by gender as it is by other factors in this section.
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Those who make $75K or more per year are more likely to use the internet heavily, with 40% saying they’re online almost constantly.
Generally speaking, that percentage goes down more and more as income decreases, with only 27% of those making under $30K per year saying they’re online almost constantly.
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42% of those who’ve graduated college say they’re online almost constantly.
That’s far more than any other educated demographic, with only 23% of those with a High School diploma or less saying the same, and 29% of those with some college.
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Americans living in urban areas are more likely to report heavy internet usage, with 37% saying they’re online almost constantly.
Meanwhile, 30% of those living in suburban areas say they’re online almost constantly, and only 23% of those living in rural areas say the same.
How Many People Use the Internet: Website, Browser, and Search Engine Statistics
It wouldn’t be easy to get around the internet if we didn’t have any search engines or websites. Imagine that. Here are some interesting facts about the websites, browsers, and search engines we use every day. According to our research:
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Google Chrome has the largest market share of any browser, at a massive 64.67%.
While Safari comes in second place, it’s still far behind Google Chrome, with a market share of 19.06%. The market share for other browsers drops off from there, with Edge having 3.99% and Firefox having 3.66%.
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Google is by far the most popular search engine, with an 86.19% market share.
All of the other search engines fall far behind Google, with Bing only having 7.2% market share and Yahoo having 2.77% market share.
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There are an estimated 1.7 billion websites on the internet.
However, it’s worth noting that this number fluctuates daily, as websites are constantly being launched or lost. In general, there are 576,000 new websites added every single day.
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Around the world, over 6 million blog posts are published daily.
In the U.S. alone, there are 31.7 million bloggers. Believe it or not, California alone has more bloggers than all of Canada.
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WordPress accounts for 27% of all blog posts published on the internet.
As a whole, there are 70 million posts published on WordPress every single month. Imagine trying to read all of those blogs (Spoilers: you can’t).
How Many People Use The Internet FAQ
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How many people use the internet?
4.9 billion people use the internet around the world. That’s 62% of the global population.
However, not every country is created equal. In the United States, there are 307.34 internet users (93% of the population). While China has a much larger number (765 million), that’s only 54.3% of the country’s entire population.
Instead, when it comes to the highest levels of internet penetration, the top countries are Qatar (99.65%), the UAE (99.15%), Iceland (99.01%), Denmark (98.05%), and Norway (98%).
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What percentage of the world has no internet?
37% of the world’s population has no access to the internet and has never used it. That’s nearly 3 billion people. In fact, the vast majority of that 37% live in Africa, despite the fact that the Arabian Peninsula has some of the highest internet penetration rates.
Though Africa has seen an increase in internet penetration from 7.6% in 2009 to 33% in 2021, that’s still half the number of internet penetration in Asia and less than half of that of Europe or North America.
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How many people use social media?
Half of the world’s population (50%) now uses social media as of 2022. That’s 3.98 billion social media users worldwide!
While the United States doesn’t have the highest percentage of social media users compared to other countries, it’s still a considerable 74% of the population. The UAE (United Arab Emirates) has the highest rate of social media penetration at 99%.
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How many Google searches happen each day?
There are approximately 5.6 billion Google searches per day. That’s 63,000 searches every second and 2 trillion global searches per year.
No wonder Google has the largest market share of any search engine. In total, Google’s market share among the other search engine is a whopping 86.19%.
Conclusion
Coming from only 361 million global users in 2000, the internet has grown to have a whopping 4.9 billion active users worldwide. That’s an increase from 6% of the population to 62% of the population.
And being the birthplace of the internet, the U.S. has quite a few users. As of 2022, 93% of the population use the internet, and 85% of Americans use it every day. A further 31% say they’re online almost constantly.
Overall, we can expect to see worldwide internet use continue to grow. Countries like China and India are already adopting it in mass, and Africa will likely soon follow.
References
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Statista. “Global digital population as of January 2021.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Number of internet users worldwide from 2005 to 2021.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Our World in Data. “Internet.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Number of smartphone users from 2016 to 2021.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Number of internet users in the United States from 2010 to 2025.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Pew Research Center. “About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2020.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Global internet penetration rate from 2009 to 2021, by region.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Percentage of mobile device website traffic worldwide from 1st quarter 2015 to 4th quarter 2021.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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CNBC. “Nearly three quarters of the world will use just their smartphones to access the internet by 2025.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Pew Research Center. “Digital divide persists even as Americans with lower incomes make gains in tech adoption.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statista. “Mobile internet usage worldwide – statistics & facts.” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Zippia. “How Many Emails Are Sent per Day? [2022].” Accessed on February 14th, 2022.
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Statcounter. “Browser Market Share Worldwide.” Accessed on February 15th, 2022.
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Statista. “Worldwide desktop market share of leading search engines from January 2010 to December 2021.” Accessed on February 15th, 2022.
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WebsiteSetup. “How Many Websites Are There?” Accessed on February 15th, 2022.
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Zippia. “How Many Blog Posts Are Published per Day? [2022].” Accessed on February 15th, 2022.
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
