About 6 billion people—74% of the world’s population—used the internet in 2025, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). An estimated 2.2 billion people remained offline. These are rounded estimates, not a real-time headcount.
How many people used the internet in 2025?
The ITU’s Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2025 estimates that approximately 6 billion people used the internet in 2025, equal to 74% of the world’s population. The ITU is the United Nations’ specialized agency for information and communication technologies and an official source for global ICT statistics.
“Internet use” refers to people, not internet subscriptions, devices, mobile-network coverage, or social-media accounts. Those measures count different things: for example, network coverage does not establish that a person actually uses the internet.
How did internet use change from 2024 to 2025?
The ITU’s 2025 figures put the revised 2024 estimate at 5.8 billion people, or 71% of the world’s population. The organization had originally estimated 5.5 billion for 2024, then revised that figure as additional data became available. The 2025 release reports that the annual growth rate in the number of internet users was 3.3%, compared with 2.9% the prior year. These comparisons use the ITU’s revised 2024 baseline.
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| Measure | 2024 estimate | 2025 estimate |
|---|---|---|
| People using the internet | 5.8 billion, revised estimate | About 6 billion |
| Share of world population using the internet | 71% | 74% |
| People not using the internet | Not stated in the cited ITU comparison | 2.2 billion |
Source for the estimates and revision: the ITU’s 2025 report and its November 17, 2025 release. Because the ITU updates earlier estimates when new information becomes available, historical figures may change.
Who is still less likely to use the internet?
The 74% global figure conceals large differences between population groups. The following percentages are internet-use rates within each group, not shares of all internet users.
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| Group | Share using the internet in 2025 |
|---|---|
| People in high-income countries | 94% |
| People in low-income countries | 23% |
| Men | 77% |
| Women | 71% |
| Urban residents | 85% |
| Rural residents | 58% |
The income gap is especially wide: the ITU estimates internet use at 94% in high-income countries versus 23% in low-income countries. Its income groupings follow the World Bank classification. The agency also reports regional figures using its own geographic groupings, so regional comparisons should identify that basis rather than assume all sources divide the world the same way.
ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said the digital divide is increasingly shaped by “speed, reliability, affordability, and skills,” in the ITU’s November 17, 2025 release.
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What the 2025 estimate does—and does not—tell you
- It is an estimate, not an exact live count. “About 6 billion” and “74%” are rounded global figures published by the ITU.
- It measures people’s internet use. Do not read the 74% as the share of users who go online daily; the cited figures do not specify a daily-use rate.
- It is not a count of connections. A person may use multiple devices or subscriptions, while others may be covered by a mobile network without using the internet.
- It does not mean access is universal. The 2.2 billion people estimated to remain offline, alongside the large differences by income, gender, and residence, show that global growth coexists with substantial gaps.
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