The Global Digital Divide: Exploring Internet Usage and Access in 2024

In 2024, the world had 5.44 billion internet users, which was 67.1% of the global population. Out of these, 5.07 billion individuals used social media, which represented 62.6% of the world’s population.

The internet has revolutionized communication and is an essential component of modern society. Northern Europe led in internet usage in 2023 with countries like Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates having nearly 100% of their populations online. In contrast, North Korea had very low internet penetration and ranked last worldwide.

Asia had the highest number of online users with over 2.93 billion people accessing the internet. Europe followed closely behind with around 750 million internet users. China, India, and the United States were among the countries with the highest number of internet users globally.

In terms of demographics, as of 2022, women made up about 63% of internet users worldwide, while men represented slightly less than that percentage. The gender gap was more significant in regions like the Arab States and Africa where there was about a ten percent difference between male and female internet usage rates. The age group between 15-24 had the highest rate of internet usage across all regions, with young people in Europe having some of the highest penetration at a staggering 98%.

Furthermore, income levels played a crucial role in determining whether or not individuals could access the internet fully or not. High-income countries generally had much higher rates of internet usage than low-income markets; for example, only about one-fifth (or just under) of people in low-income markets used the internet compared to over nine out of every ten people in high-income nations who did so.

Overall, it’s clear that access to technology is becoming increasingly important for individuals to stay connected to each other and participate fully in today’s information society.