Get Guardian on GoogleAN estimated 6.3 billion people, or 76 per cent of the world’s population, are using the Internet in 2026, according to Facts and Figures 2026, released today by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
The figure is up from a revised estimate of 6.1 billion people, or 74 per cent, in 2025. Despite the continued growth in connectivity, two billion people remain offline.
ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, said: “In the age of AI, being offline means being shut out of countless opportunities, from education to employment. Now more than ever, we need to expand connectivity and make it meaningful for everyone, everywhere.”
With Internet use now estimated to extend to more than three-quarters of the global population, Facts and Figures 2026 shows continued progress toward universal connectivity.
At the same time, the data reveal persistent disparities in who is connected. For example, Internet use stands at 93 per cent in high-income countries, compared with just 32 per cent in low-income countries.
Closing gaps in the affordability, availability, quality and use of digital technologies and services is essential to achieving universal and meaningful connectivity, when everyone can use the Internet under optimal conditions, at an affordable cost, wherever and whenever they need.
Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, said: “The continued expansion of global connectivity creates opportunities for socio-economic development and supports wider access to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
“Facts and Figures 2026 shows us the significant progress achieved so far and the work that lies ahead of us to translate access to digital technologies into meaningful connections that can improve people’s lives. For this to happen, we should also prioritize the delivery of digital skills. Without digital skills and meaningful connectivity, the benefits of technologies risk remaining out of reach for many, reinforcing existing digital divides.”
The latest edition of ITU’s yearly connectivity assessment provides global, regional and income group estimates for indicators related to Internet use, subscriptions and traffic as well as affordability, digital skills, mobile network coverage and mobile phone ownership.
Key findings in Facts and Figures 2026 include that globally, 79 per cent of men and 74 per cent of women use the Internet. The ratio of women to men using the Internet has increased to 0.94. Young people remain more connected than the rest of the population, with 86 per cent of people aged 15 to 24 using the Internet globally, compared with 74 per cent of the rest of the population.
According to ITU, the urban-rural divide has narrowed, although clear disparities persist. Globally, 82 per cent of urban residents have access to the Internet, compared with 63 per cent in rural areas.
In terms of mobile phone ownership, the report claims that globally, 84 per cent of the population aged 10 and over own a mobile phone. Ownership exceeds 95 per cent in high-income countries, compared with 57 per cent in low-income countries.
Further, an estimated 97 per cent of the global population lives within reach of at least a 3G network.
However, coverage by more advanced technologies remains highly unequal. While 5G reaches 59 per cent of the global population, coverage ranges from 86 per cent in high-income countries to just four per cent in low-income countries.
It disclosed that average monthly mobile broadband traffic per subscription is 20 GB in high-income countries, roughly six times the 3.4 GB in low-income countries.
