Worried that digital tools are changing public life faster than you can follow? Technology and society are now closely tied: about 6 billion people are online, yet 2.2 billion are not, and the gaps shape who benefits.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| People using the Internet worldwide, 2025 | About 6 billion |
| People still offline, 2025 | 2.2 billion |
| Internet use, high-income vs low-income countries | 94 per cent vs 23 per cent |
| Internet use, urban vs rural areas | 85 per cent vs 58 per cent |
| Internet use, men vs women | 77 per cent vs 71 per cent |
| Share of the world’s population covered by 5G, 2025 | 55 per cent |
These figures come from the ITU press release on Facts and Figures 2025, published on 17 November 2025. Estimates are revised from year to year, so check the source before you rely on them.
Who is online, and who is not?
The most basic question about who can take part in digital life is also the easiest to measure. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that about 6 billion people used the Internet in 2025, up from a revised 5.8 billion in 2024. It also reports that the world’s online population grew by more than 240 million people in 2025, according to its 17 November 2025 release.
On the other side of the ledger, 2.2 billion people remain offline, down from a revised 2.3 billion in 2024. Estimates move as better data arrives: the original 2024 estimate of 5.5 billion people online was later revised to 5.8 billion, equivalent to 71 per cent of the world’s population. Treat any single headline number as a snapshot, not a settled fact.
The divides inside those totals matter more than the totals. The ITU report points to these gaps, as set out in the same press release:
- Income: 94 per cent of people in high-income countries use the Internet, against only 23 per cent in low-income countries.
- Where the offline live: 96 per cent of those offline are in low- and middle-income countries.
- Gender: 77 per cent of men are online, compared with 71 per cent of women.
- Location: 85 per cent of people in urban areas are online, versus 58 per cent in rural areas.
- Age: 82 per cent of 15-24-year-olds use the Internet, compared with 72 per cent of the rest of the population.
Why connection quality matters as much as access
Being “online” can mean very different things. For the first time, the ITU estimated total 5G subscriptions, which it says account for about one-third, or around 3 billion, of all mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide. In 2025, 5G networks are estimated to cover 55 per cent of the world’s population, according to the ITU.
That coverage is very uneven. Some 84 per cent of people in high-income countries have access to 5G, compared with only 4 per cent in low-income countries. The same source says 4G and 3G services are available to most of the global population, but are not best suited for keeping pace with advancing technologies.
Use is a second clue to quality. A typical user in a high-income country now generates nearly eight times more mobile data than one in a low-income country. The ITU treats this intensity of use as an indicator of the quality gap, so two people who both count as “connected” may still have very different experiences.
Affordability and skills: the next barriers
The ITU describes meaningful connectivity as reached when everyone can access the Internet with high-quality service, at an affordable cost, whenever and wherever needed. Two of its building blocks are price and skills, and both still fall short.
- Price: the median price of a data-only mobile broadband basket decreased globally, but access remains unaffordable in around 60 per cent of low- and middle-income countries, per the press release.
- Affordability targets: the ITU’s report index notes that Internet access prices continue to fall, but one in three economies have yet to achieve the affordability target of the Broadband Commission.
- Skills: most Internet users have basic skills, while more advanced capabilities, such as online safety, problem-solving and digital content creation, are developing more slowly.
- Devices: over four in five people worldwide own a mobile phone, according to the same report index.
The practical lesson is that a phone and a signal are the start, not the finish. Without affordable data and the skills to stay safe and create content, being online may give people less influence over public life than the headline numbers suggest.
Where digital tools reshape public life
Connectivity is the foundation, but the effects show up in many areas of public life. Each topic below has its own guide on this site, and the ITU figures above give you the context for reading them.
- Access gaps by income, gender and place are the focus of our guide to the digital divide explained.
- If you want to understand how automated systems can produce unequal outcomes, start with what is algorithmic bias.
- The link between online platforms and political life is covered in social media and democracy.
- Questions about automation and employment are covered in our explainer on ai impact on jobs.
- Rules on personal information differ by country, and you can compare them in data privacy laws around the world.
- False content comes in different forms, which is why misinformation vs disinformation is worth reading before you share anything.
- Phones also carry payments, and mobile money in developing countries shows how.
- Devices have a physical end of life too, which is the subject of the e-waste problem guide.
These themes also sit inside larger debates. Our global development hub looks at how connectivity relates to living standards, and the sustainability hub covers the environmental side of a digital economy.
How to read claims about technology and society
Public debate about digital tools is full of confident numbers. A few habits make it easier to separate solid evidence from noise.
- Check the date. The figures in this guide are from the ITU’s 17 November 2025 release, and later editions may differ.
- Check who is counted. Averages for the world hide large gaps between income groups, genders and regions.
- Separate access from quality. Ask whether a claim measures having a connection or having a fast, affordable and reliable one.
- Look for revisions. The ITU itself revised its 2024 estimate of people online from 5.5 billion to 5.8 billion, so older numbers deserve a second look.
- Follow the source. Prefer claims that point to a named dataset over those that only repeat each other.
Frequently asked questions
How many people are online worldwide?
Show answer
The ITU estimates that about 6 billion people, roughly three-quarters of the world’s population, use the Internet in 2025, while 2.2 billion remain offline. See the ITU press release for the full estimates.
Is the digital divide closing?
Show answer
Some gaps are narrowing and others are not. The ITU’s report index says the generational gap in Internet use is shrinking, while data show a lack of progress in closing the gender gap. Its press release also gives the share of men online as 77 per cent, against 71 per cent of women.
Does being online mean having good connectivity?
Show answer
No. Coverage of 5G is 84 per cent in high-income countries and 4 per cent in low-income countries, and a typical high-income user generates nearly eight times more mobile data. The ITU uses this as a sign of the quality gap.
Who produces these statistics?
Show answer
The ITU is the United Nations agency for digital technologies. It was established in 1865 and has 194 Member States, as described in its press release. This site is independent and is not affiliated with the ITU.
