Photo by Rahul Dolai on Unsplash (illustrative)
On 17 November 2025, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN agency for digital technology, published its Facts and Figures 2025. It estimates that 6 billion people, about 74% of the world's population, are using the internet in 2025, up from 5.8 billion in 2024.
Key facts
More than 240 million people came online in 2025, and yearly growth picked up slightly to 3.3%.
The number of people offline fell from about 2.3 billion in 2024 to 2.2 billion.
In the least developed countries, internet use is growing by about 7.4% a year on average, though only 34% of people are online.
Young people lead the way: 82% of people aged 15 to 24 are online.
Why it matters
Internet access opens the door to online learning, mobile banking, health information and jobs. Every person who gets connected gains tools that can help them earn, study and stay in touch.
Worth noting
The divide is still wide: 94% of people in high-income countries are online, compared with 23% in low-income countries, and women (71%) still lag men (77%). The ITU says mobile data remains unaffordable in about 60% of low- and middle-income countries.