Atlas VPN estimated that there will be more than 6 billion Internet users around the world in the next five years, further extending the influence of the world wide web.
As of 2023, there are approximately 5.16 billion internet users globally, accounting for 64.4% of the world’s population. By 2028, this number is expected to rise by nearly a fifth (19%) and reach 6.13 billion. AtlasVPN bases these estimations on historic internet user data provided by DataReportal.
Not surprisingly, developed countries see the biggest internet penetration rates with over 80%, while less advanced nations can be below 50%. In fact, the top 20 countries along account for 3.67 billion internet users, representing 71% of the world’s total.
China currently leads the world in terms of the largest internet user population, with 1.05 billion users, comprising over 20% of the total global internet users. Overall,73.7% of China’s population has internet access.
India, the second most populous country as of January 2023, holds the second spot on the list with 692 million internet users. However, only about 48.7% of India’s population has internet access, ranking it below the world’s average. In fact, India has the highest number of unconnected people worldwide, with over 730 million individuals lacking internet access.
Next on the list is the U.S., with 311.3 million internet users, which translates to approximately 91.8% of its population having internet access. The U.S. is followed by Indonesia and Brazil, with 212.9 million and 181.8 million internet users, respectively. 77% of Indonesia’s population has internet access, while Brazil’s rate is slightly higher at 84.3%. Brazilians also rank second in terms of time spent online.
Other countries in the top ten include Russia (127.6 million), Nigeria (122.5 million), Japan (102.5 million), Mexico (100.6 million), and the Philippines (85.16 million). Canada did not crack the top 10, but according to Statista, as at January 2023, there are more than 36 million internet users in Canada.
AtlasVPN believes that the climbing number of internet users and evolution of technology will lead to new opportunities and challenges that will “shape the future of our interconnected world.” However, we also need to be mindful of the risks associated with data privacy and cybersecurity, including cyber threats, data breaches, and identity theft, all of which are increasingly prevalent in a hyper-connected world. Most Americans regard cyberterrorism as the most pressing danger to the U.S., according to a Gallup poll on world affairs.