Internet and social media users in the world 2023

As of January 2023, there were 5.16 billion internet users worldwide, which is 64.4 percent of the global population. Of this total, 4.76 billion, or 59.4 percent of the world's population, were social media users.

Global internet usage

Connecting billions of people worldwide, the internet is a core pillar of the modern information society. Among worldwide regions using the internet more often, Northern Europe ranked first by the share of the population using the internet in 2023. In Ireland, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, 99 percent of the population used the internet as of January 2023. North Korea is at the opposite end of the spectrum, with virtually no internet usage penetration among the general population, ranking last worldwide.

Asia was home to the largest number of online users worldwide – over 2.9 billion at the latest count. Europe ranked second with around 750 million internet users, while China, India, and the United States rank ahead of other countries worldwide by the number of internet users.

Worldwide internet user demographics

As of 2022, the share of female internet users worldwide was 63 percent, six percent less than that of men. Gender disparity in internet usage was bigger in the Arab States and Africa, with around a ten percent difference. Worldwide regions, like the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe, showed a smaller gender gap. As of 2022, global internet usage was higher among individuals between 15 and 24 years across all regions, with young people in Europe representing the most significant usage penetration, 98 percent. In comparison, the worldwide average for the age group 15-24 years was 75 percent. The income level of the countries was also an essential factor for internet access, as 92 percent of the population of the countries with high income reportedly used the internet, as opposed to only 26 percent of the low-income markets.