6.3 Billion Use Internet, 2 Billion Still Offline
The ITU's 2026 estimates show a 76 per cent global reach, with connectivity still lagging sharply in lower-income countries.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Internet
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The International Telecommunication Union's Facts and Figures 2026 report estimates 6.3 billion people, or 76 per cent of the world's population, use the Internet, up from a revised 6.1 billion (74 per cent) in 2025. The figures are estimates compiled in ITU's annual connectivity assessment, so they describe measured and modeled usage rather than a product or technology rollout.
Why it matters
The 2 billion people still offline are concentrated in lower-income countries, where Internet use is 32 per cent against 93 per cent in high-income countries, which shapes where future network investment and affordable access will be needed. Affordability is moving in the right direction: the global median price of a data-only mobile broadband basket fell to 1.2 per cent of gross national income per capita.
The figures come from ITU's annual connectivity assessment, which covers Internet use, subscriptions, traffic, affordability, digital skills, mobile coverage, and phone ownership. Mobile broadband traffic averages 20 GB per month in high-income countries against 3.4 GB in low-income countries, and 5G reaches 59 per cent of the global population.
The players
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
The United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, which tracks global connectivity, spectrum, and digital infrastructure through its annual Facts and Figures reports.
The details
The estimates are built from a standardized annual survey of national connectivity data, which ITU uses to produce global, regional, and income-group figures. Mobile broadband affordability is measured as a share of gross national income per capita, so a fall to 1.2 per cent means a typical data-only plan now costs a smaller fraction of average national income. The gap between income groups reflects both infrastructure coverage and the cost of service relative to earnings.
Timeline
2025: ITU's prior revised estimate placed Internet users at 6.1 billion, or 74 per cent of the population.
2026: Facts and Figures 2026 raises the estimate to 6.3 billion users, or 76 per cent.
2026: Landlocked developing countries and small island developing states meet the mobile broadband affordability target for the first time.
The Tech Race
The ITU's annual series is the reference point for measuring whether the global connectivity push is closing the gap, and the 2026 estimate extends that trend upward. Progress is uneven, however: the 2 billion people still offline sit mostly in lower-income countries, where the race to build networks and lower costs is still early.
People in lower-income countries face the largest access and affordability gaps, and the sharpest near-term change is the falling cost of mobile broadband data. Availability, pricing, and timelines for individual providers in any given country are not stated in the extraction.
The takeaway
The 6.3 billion user figure is the number to watch: the next annual ITU assessment will show whether the offline population falls below 2 billion. Readers tracking the affordability gap should compare future mobile broadband price data against the current 1.2 per cent global median.
Further reading
For broader context on how global connectivity is measured and expanded, see the Internet section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Advanced-television.
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