As of January 2024, China ranked first among the countries with the most internet users worldwide. The world's most populated country had 1.09 billion internet users, more than triple the third-ranked United States, with just around 331 million internet users. Overall, all BRIC markets had over 100 million internet users, accounting for four of the nine countries with more than 100 million internet users.
Worldwide internet usage
As of January 2023, there were five billion internet users worldwide. There are, however, stark differences in user distribution according to region. Eastern Asia is home to 1.24 billion internet users, while African and Middle Eastern regions had lower user figures. Moreover, the urban areas showed a higher percentage of internet access than rural areas.
Internet use in China
China ranks first in the list of countries with the most internet users. Due to its ongoing and fast-paced economic development and a cultural inclination towards technology, more than a billion of the estimated 1.4 billion population in China are online. As of the third quarter of 2022, around 82 percent of Chinese internet users stated using WeChat, the most popular social network in the country. On average, Chinese internet users spent six hours and 25 minutes online daily.
Countries with the largest digital populations in the world as of January 2024
(in millions)
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DataReportal, & We Are Social, & Meltwater. (February 22, 2024). Countries with the largest digital populations in the world as of January 2024 (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 15, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries/
DataReportal, und We Are Social, und Meltwater. "Countries with the largest digital populations in the world as of January 2024 (in millions)." Chart. February 22, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries/
DataReportal, We Are Social, Meltwater. (2024). Countries with the largest digital populations in the world as of January 2024 (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 15, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries/
DataReportal, and We Are Social, and Meltwater. "Countries with The Largest Digital Populations in The World as of January 2024 (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 22 Feb 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries/
DataReportal & We Are Social & Meltwater, Countries with the largest digital populations in the world as of January 2024 (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries/ (last visited December 15, 2024)
Countries with the largest digital populations in the world as of January 2024 (in millions) [Graph], DataReportal, & We Are Social, & Meltwater, February 22, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/262966/number-of-internet-users-in-selected-countries/