Internet use continues to rise but disparities remain, especially in low-income regions: ITU

​​​​​​An estimated 5.5 billion people are online in 2024, an increase of 227 million individuals based on revised estimates for 2023, according to new figures from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The estimates featured in ITU's Facts and Figures 2024 show that connectivity continues to increase worldwide but reveal the complexities of reaching communities in low-income countries.

While an estimated 68 per cent of the global population is now online and all indicators tracked in the report show improvement, stubborn digital divides persist and about one-third of the world's people remain offline.

“Facts and Figures 2024 is a tale of two digital realities between high-income and low-income countries," said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “Stark gaps in critical connectivity indicators are cutting off the most vulnerable people from online access to information, education and employment opportunities. This report is a reminder that true progress in our interconnected world isn't just about how fast we move forward, but about making sure everyone moves forward together."

Level of development and connectivity closely linked

Facts and Figures 2024 shows that Internet use remains tightly linked to the level of development.

In high-income countries, 93 per cent of the population is estimated to be using the Internet in 2024. This contrasts with low-income countries where only 27 per cent of the population is estimated to be online.

Connectivity challenges also remain in the least developed countries (LDCs) where only 35 per cent of the population is estimated online and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) with only 39 per cent online.

In total, an estimated 2.6 billion people are offline in 2024, accounting for 32 per cent of the world's population. This is down from the newly revised estimate of 2.8 billion for 2023, which represents 35 per cent of the population.

“The world is inching towards universal access at a time that it should be sprinting,” said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “While we continue to make progress on connectivity, our advances mask significant gaps in the world's most vulnerable communities, where digital exclusion makes life even more challenging. We must intensify our efforts to remove the barriers that keep people offline and close the usage gap, and renew our commitment to achieving universal and meaningful connectivity, so that everyone can access the Internet.”​

Tracking connectivity trends

Key findings in Facts and Figures 2024 include:

The world is moving slowly towards gender parity in Internet use – An estimated 70 per cent of men use the Internet worldwide in 2024, compared with 65 per cent of women. Although there are 189 million more men than women using the Internet, the report found that the world has been moving towards gender parity except in LDCs. (According to the revised estimates, an estimated 68 per cent of men and 63 per cent of women were using the Internet in 2023.)​

Lack of progress in bridging the urban-rural divide – Globally, an estimated 83 per cent of urban dwellers use the Internet in 2024, compared with less than half of the population in rural areas (48 per cent). Of the estimated 2.6 billion people offline in 2024, 1.8 billion people live in rural areas.

Young people are more likely to use the Internet, but the gap is shrinking – Worldwide, an estimated 79 per cent of people aged between 15 and 24 use the Internet, 13 percentage points more than among the rest of the population. This generational gap, observed in every region, has been slowly shrinking over the last four years. (According to the revised estimates, an estimated 77 per cent of people aged between 15 and 24 used the Internet in 2023.)

Internet access continues to get cheaper, but affordability remains a challenge – The cost of a fixed-broadband subscription in low-income countries is the equivalent of nearly a third of the average monthly income.

Globally, four out of five people over 10 years old own a mobile phone – However, major differences exist between countries. More than 95 per cent of people over 10 years old own a mobile phone in high-income economies, compared to only 56 per cent in low-income countries.

5G coverage is estimated to reach 51 per cent of the world population in 2024, with significant disparities existing between high- and low-income countries – While 84 per cent of people in high-income countries are covered, 5G extends to only 4 per cent of those in low-income countries.

The number of mobile-broadband subscriptions is approaching that of mobile-cellular subscriptions – While gains are being made, fixed broadband remains a luxury for many.

Growth in Internet traffic remains strong – However, the average monthly mobile broadband traffic per subscription in high-income countries (16.2 GB) is about eight times higher than in low-income economies (2 GB).​