Digital Around the World
Analysis by the team at Manochi shows that a total of 6.12 billion people around the world were using the internet at the start of April 2026, equivalent to 73.8 percent of the world’s total population.
This impressive figure means that close to three-quarters of the world’s population is now online, and current trends suggest that we’ll reach that momentous milestone on the world’s digital journey within the next 12 months.
The available data indicate that internet users increased by 59 million over the past 12 months (+1.0 percent), but routine delays in the reporting of internet user data mean that the real growth rate is likely to be meaningfully higher than these figures suggest.
Despite continuing improvements in global internet access, 2.17 billion people remain “unconnected” to the internet today, with the majority of these people living in Southern Asia and in Africa.
These figures show that there’s still plenty more work to do before the world reaches the goal of “universal access”, and the quality of people’s internet access remains an important consideration too.
The vast majority of the world’s internet users – a resounding 96.2 percent – use a mobile phone to go online at least some of the time, while mobile phones account for 51.6 percent of the world’s web traffic.
Meanwhile, 53.8 percent of adult internet users in the world’s larger economies still use laptops and desktops for at least some of their online activities, but this share continues to decline.
Social media headlines
Social media adoption continues to grow, with the total number of active social media user “identities” reaching 5.79 billion in April 2026.
That’s equal to 69.9 percent of all the people on Earth, indicating that close to 7 in 10 people on Earth now use social media each month.
For added perspective, Manochi’s latest analysis indicates that 94.7 percent of all internet users now use social media every month, while the latest data from GWI indicates that 96.7 percent of all adult internet users aged 16 and above use at least one social network or messaging platform each month.
User numbers continue to grow too, with the latest data indicating that active social media user identities have increased by +5.4 percent over the past 12 months.
More specifically, 294 million new user identities started using social media between April 2024 and April 2026, equating to growth of more than 800,000 new users every day.
That means that social media grew at an average rate of 9.3 new users every single second since this time last year.
If you want to dig deeper into social media use by platform, you’ll find all of the latest stats here.
Global mobile adoption
Continued growth in mobile use is also helping to fuel increases in digital adoption and activity.
The latest data reveal that 70.4 percent of the world’s total population now uses a mobile phone, with the number of “unique” mobile users reaching 5.83 billion in April 2026.
Meanwhile, the number of cellular connections associated with smartphones continues to increase, and – with 7.64 billion smartphones now in use – the latest figures indicate that these handsets now account for roughly 89 percent of the mobile phones in use around the world today.
Use of GenAI
The adoption of generative AI (GenAI) tools continues apace, with Manochi’s analysis indicating that platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude now attract 2.42 billion active users each month.
And while this figure may not represent unique individuals, it’s still interesting to note that GenAI users now equate to almost 30 percent of the world’s total population.
Moreover, global GenAI adoption has more than doubled over the past year, with 1.4 billion new users embracing these platforms during the 12 months to April 2026.
Explore the global digital landscape
Want to know more about the digital media landscape around the world?
Our Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report packs a hefty 600+ slides, and has all the latest need-to-know digital stats from around the world.
You can read the full report in the embed below (see here if that’s not working for you), but click here if you’d like to dig deeper into all of the context, trends, and implications of these numbers.
Alternatively, scroll down this page to find a summary of all the key headlines.
Internet use around the world
Manochi’s analysis shows that there are 6.12 billion internet users in the world today.
The total number of internet users around the world grew by 59 million during the past 12 months.
Globally, internet user numbers are growing at an annual rate of 1.0 percent, but year-on-year growth is even higher in many developing economies. Routine research delays also mean that growth rates for the most recent 12 to 18 months often under-represent actual trends, so we anticipate that real adoption rates will be meaningfully higher than the latest data suggest.
The average global internet user now spends 33 hours and 13 minutes each week consuming online media, although note that simultaneous use of different kinds of media may mean that this figure overstates actual online time.
Added together, the world’s internet users currently spend close to 1.5 billion years of combined human existence consuming digital media each year.
Essential social media stats
Manochi’s analysis shows that there are 5.79 billion active social media user “identities” in the world today, equivalent to 69.9 percent of the world’s total population. However, note that these user “identities” may not represent unique individuals.
The number of social media user identities around the world grew by 294 million in the past 12 months.
Globally, social media users are growing at a rate of 5.4 percent per year, with the average active user visiting 6.5 different social platforms every month.
GWI reports that the average global user spends 18 hours and 36 minutes using social media each week, which includes browsing social networks and watching online videos on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Added together, the world spends more than 640 million years consuming content on social media platforms each year.
Mobile stats from around the world
There are 5.83 billion unique mobile phone users in the world today, according to the latest data from GSMA Intelligence.
More than 7 in 10 people now use a mobile phone, with global adoption currently standing at 70.4 percent.
The total number of unique mobile users around the world grew by 103 million over the past 12 months.
Unique mobile users are currently growing at a rate of 1.8 percent per year. Meanwhile, millions of people have also upgraded from ‘feature’ phones to smartphones over the past 12 months.
The latest data from Ericsson shows that the number of mobile connections associated with smartphones has reached 7.648 billion, accounting for roughly 89 percent of all the mobile phones in use around the world today [note that many people use more than one mobile phone].
The number of smartphones in use is growing at an annual rate of 3.1 percent, with almost 230 million additional smartphones added to the active total during the past 12 months.
Essential ecommerce stats
56.2 percent of internet users aged 16+ buy something online every week, according to the latest data from GWI.
More people now make purchases via mobile devices than via desktops and laptops, but computers are still a central part of people’s online shopping behaviours, especially across Northern America and Europe.
Statista estimates that the world’s ecommerce users will spend US$3.66 trillion on online consumer goods purchases in 2025, with global ecommerce spend increasing by 13 percent versus 2024’s total [note that consumer goods do not include things like flights, which we detail elsewhere in our Digital 2026 Global Overview Report].
Statista also reports that the average ecommerce shopper around the world now spends US$1,127 per year on online consumer goods purchases.
Note: we update the numbers on this page on a regular basis, so if you’d like to link to a specific set of stats, you’d be safer linking to one of our ‘static’ reports – click here if you’d like some help finding the right one.
More global insights
You’ll find links to some of our latest reports below, but simply click here if you’d like to search our complete library of in-depth insights and trends.
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All the data you need to make sense of global digital behaviours in April 2026. Includes essential headlines and in-depth analysis for use of the internet, AI, mobile devices, and social media, as well as for how people engage with online shopping and digital marketing.