ITU’s Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures series presents annual global, regional and income-group estimates for key connectivity indicators.

The 2026 edition shows that an estimated 6.3 billion people, or 76 per cent of the world’s population, are using the Internet in 2026. However, despite passing the milestone of three-quarters of humanity being online, 2 billion people remain offline. The new estimates also point to large disparities in connectivity. Internet use has reached 93 per cent in high-income countries, compared with just 32 per cent in low-income countries.

One of the findings of Facts and Figures 2026 highlights the difference between having access to a device and actually being online. In most countries, mobile phone ownership is higher than Internet use. The gap is smaller in regions where both measures are approaching universal levels and is narrowing across all regions as Internet use grows faster than mobile phone ownership.

• Read the full press release.
  
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• For additional resources and data, visit the Facts and Figures series page.
• Learn more about ITU statistics here.