Global Internet Usage Trends: Who Has the Most Social Media Users and Why?

As of 2024, the world had 5.44 billion internet users, representing 67.1% of the global population. Out of this total, 5.07 billion people, which constitutes 62.6% of the world’s population, were social media users. The internet has revolutionized communication and information sharing worldwide and has become a vital component of our modern society.

In terms of geographic distribution, Northern Europe led the way in internet usage in 2023 with countries like Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates having almost universal internet access among their populations. On the other hand, North Korea had very low internet penetration rates, ranking last worldwide. Asia had the highest number of online users globally, with over 2.93 billion individuals accessing the internet. Europe followed closely behind with around 750 million internet users. Countries like China, India, and the United States topped the list in terms of the number of internet users worldwide.

When it comes to demographics, as of 2022, women accounted for about 63% of all internet users globally slightly less than men’s share. However, there was a significant gender gap in regions like Arab States and Africa where women made up only about ten percent less than men’s share of online users. The age group between 15-24 had the highest percentage of internet usage across all regions globally, with young people in Europe leading the way with a penetration rate of almost 100%.

Another critical factor that determines access to the internet is income level. High-income countries have significantly higher rates of internet usage among their populations compared to low-income markets where only about one-fourth used it regularly.

Overall