Computer connectivity now reaches most of the world’s population, but access remains uneven by income, location, gender, age and affordability. In 2024, an estimated 5.5 billion people were online worldwide, while about 2.6 billion remained offline.
Key Computer Connectivity Statistics
The most broadly useful computer connectivity figures are:
- 5.5 billion people were online worldwide in 2024, according to the ITU estimate.
- 68% of the world population used the internet in 2024, compared with 65% in 2023.
- About 2.6 billion people remained offline worldwide in 2024, based on ITU connectivity aggregates.
- Global internet penetration rose from 40% in 2015 to 68% in 2024, according to the ITU longitudinal series.
- High-income countries had 93% internet use in 2024, while low-income countries had 27%.
- Low- and middle-income countries had 54% internet use in 2024, compared with 35% in least developed countries.
- 83% of urban residents used the internet worldwide in 2024, versus 48% of rural residents.
- 1.8 billion of the world’s offline people lived in rural areas in 2024, compared with 800 million in urban areas.
- 5G covered 51% of the world population in 2024, although coverage does not mean subscription or use.
- 4G covered 92% of the world population in 2024, while 3G-or-better coverage reached 96%.
- 68% of men and 63% of women used the internet globally in 2023, using revised ITU estimates.
- 79% of people aged 15–24 used the internet worldwide in 2024, 13 percentage points above the rest of the population.
- 80% of people aged 10 and over owned a mobile phone worldwide in 2024, a gateway measure rather than a direct measure of internet use.
- 95% of U.S. adults used the internet in Pew’s 2023 survey, and 80% subscribed to high-speed home internet.
- 88% of U.S. teens had or could access a desktop or laptop at home in 2024, while 95% had or could access a smartphone.
- A fixed-broadband subscription cost nearly one-third of average monthly income in a low-income country in 2024, according to the ITU affordability measure.
- 93% of EU residents aged 16–74 used the internet in the previous three months in 2024, up from 86% in 2019.
Contents
- Key Computer Connectivity Statistics
- Global Computer Connectivity and Internet Participation
- Connectivity by Income and Development Level
- Urban-Rural Connectivity and Mobile Network Coverage
- Connectivity by Gender, Age and Device Access
- Broadband Affordability and Connectivity Costs
- How People Use Connected Computers and Internet Services
Global Computer Connectivity and Internet Participation
The ITU estimated 5.5 billion internet users worldwide in 2024, equal to 68% of the global population. The comparable 2023 internet-use share was 65%, although historical values can be revised between editions of the series.
- Global internet penetration rose from 40% in 2015 to 68% in 2024.
- Internet use grew 3.4% year over year in 2024, compared with 2.7% in 2023.
- An estimated 227 million more people were online in 2024 than in the revised 2023 estimate.
- About 2.6 billion people remained offline in 2024.
- The ITU defines universal usage as 95% internet penetration, allowing that some people may never want to connect.
Source: ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Internet use. These are ITU estimates, and revised historical values may differ across editions.
The global total also includes an estimated 2.8 billion male and 2.7 billion female internet users in 2024. These rounded sex-category estimates should not be treated as a direct measure of equal access or of computer ownership.
Connectivity by Income and Development Level
Income remains one of the clearest divides in computer connectivity statistics. In 2024, internet use reached 93% in high-income countries but only 27% in low-income countries.
| Income or development group | Internet use, 2024 |
|---|---|
| High-income countries | 93% |
| Low- and middle-income countries | 54% |
| Least developed countries | 35% |
| Low-income countries | 27% |
Source: ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Internet use. These are income-group aggregates, not country-level results.
Internet use in low-income countries grew at an average annual rate of 8.5% in 2024, showing rapid expansion from a lower base. Across Europe, the CIS and the Americas, use ranged from 87% to 92% in 2024; this is a regional range, not one pooled rate.
Africa recorded 38% internet use in 2024, while mobile-phone ownership reached 66%. The indicators have different denominators and should not be read as equivalent measures of computer or internet access.
Urban-Rural Connectivity and Mobile Network Coverage
Location affects both internet participation and the availability of newer mobile networks. Globally, 83% of urban residents used the internet in 2024, compared with 48% of rural residents, producing an urban-rural use ratio of 1.7.
- Of the 2.6 billion people offline in 2024, 1.8 billion lived in rural areas and 800 million lived in urban areas.
- The urban-rural internet-use ratio was 1.1 in Europe and 2.5 in Africa in 2024.
- In low-income countries, 16% of rural residents used the internet in 2024.
- The low-income-country urban-rural use ratio narrowed from 3.1 in 2021 to 2.9 in 2024.
Source: ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Internet use in urban and rural areas. The ratios compare reported urban and rural use rates.
Network availability is broader than actual use. In 2024, 3G-or-better mobile coverage reached 96% of the world population, 4G reached 92%, and 5G reached 51%.
| Mobile network measure | World | Urban | Rural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5G coverage, 2024 | 51% | 67% | 29% |
| 4G coverage, 2024 | 92% | 99% | 82% |
| 3G-or-better coverage, 2024 | 96% | — | — |
Source: ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Mobile network coverage. Coverage means access to a signal, not subscription or use.
High-income countries had 84% 5G coverage in 2024, compared with 4% in low-income countries. Africa had the largest mobile-broadband coverage gap, with 14% of its population beyond coverage.
Connectivity by Gender, Age and Device Access
The ITU estimated that 68% of men and 63% of women used the internet globally in 2023. That difference corresponded to 189 million more male than female internet users, using revised ITU estimates.
Age also matters. Worldwide, 79% of people aged 15–24 used the internet in 2024, and youth use was 13 percentage points higher than use among the rest of the population.
Mobile-phone ownership is a related but separate access indicator. In 2024, 80% of people aged 10 and over owned a mobile phone worldwide, including 82% of males and 77% of females in that age group.
Source: ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Internet use and ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Mobile phone ownership. Mobile ownership is not equivalent to internet use.
U.S. survey data show how device access can coexist with different forms of home connectivity:
- Pew found that 95% of U.S. adults used the internet, 90% had a smartphone, and 80% subscribed to high-speed home internet in its May 19–September 5, 2023 survey.
- Home broadband reached 95% of U.S. adults in households earning at least $100,000, compared with 57% among households earning below $30,000, in 2023.
- Home broadband subscription was 73% in rural U.S. areas, 86% in suburban areas and 77% in urban areas in 2023.
- 15% of U.S. adults were smartphone-dependent in 2023, defined as owning a smartphone without high-speed home broadband; the comparable figure was 8% in 2013.
- In September 18–October 10, 2024, 88% of U.S. teens had or could access a desktop or laptop at home, 95% had or could access a smartphone, and 70% had or could access a tablet.
- U.S. teen tablet access rose from 65% in 2023 to 70% in 2024.
Sources: Pew Research Center, Americans’ Use of Mobile Technology and Home Broadband and Pew Research Center, Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024. Pew figures are survey estimates; access is not necessarily ownership or individual use.
Broadband Affordability and Connectivity Costs
Availability does not guarantee that households can afford a connection. In 2024, a fixed-broadband subscription in a low-income country cost nearly one-third of average monthly income, according to the ITU affordability measure.
Mobile internet prices also differed sharply by region. The ITU reported that mobile internet costs in Africa were 14 times higher than in Europe in 2024, compared with a multiple of 12 in 2023.
| Affordability or coverage measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Africa mobile internet cost relative to Europe | 12× | 14× |
| Low-income-country 4G population coverage | — | 52% |
| Low-income-country rural 4G coverage | — | 30% |
Sources: ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Internet use and ITU, Facts and Figures 2024 – Mobile network coverage. Price multiples use representative standardized baskets, not every user’s bill; coverage is not actual subscription or use.
Low-income countries had 52% 4G population coverage in 2024, but only 30% coverage among rural inhabitants. The combination of price pressure and limited rural network reach helps explain why network availability, household subscription and actual computer connectivity can diverge.
How People Use Connected Computers and Internet Services
Participation statistics describe whether people connect; activity statistics show what connected users do. Eurostat’s 2024 ICT survey found that 93% of EU residents aged 16–74 used the internet in the previous three months, up from 86% in 2019.
Among EU residents aged 16–74, the reported online activities in 2024 were:
- 85% used the internet for calls, video calls or instant messaging.
- 80% used the internet for email.
- 75% used the internet to find information about goods and services.
- 73% used the internet to watch television or videos.
- 67% used internet banking.
- 16% expressed an opinion on civic or political issues online.
Source: Eurostat, People online in 2024. Figures refer to people aged 16–74 and, unless otherwise stated, activity during the previous three months.
These measures cover a defined EU population and survey period, so they should not be substituted for the global ITU internet-use estimates. Together, they show that computer connectivity statistics include both the scale of participation and the practical services people use after getting online.