Global Internet Usage Report 2025: An Analysis Through the Lens of Sustainable Development Goals

This report analyzes global internet usage statistics for 2025, with a significant focus on their implications for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Increased internet access is a critical enabler for achieving the 2030 Agenda, particularly impacting SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). The data reveals substantial progress in global connectivity alongside persistent digital divides that require targeted action.

Key Global Findings

• Total Users: 5.65 billion people are online, representing 68.7% of the global population.
• Leading Nations: China (1.1 billion users) and India (806 million users) have the largest online populations.
• Daily Engagement: The average internet user spends 6 hours and 36 minutes online daily.
• Mobile Dominance: Mobile phones are the primary means of internet access for 95.9% of users worldwide.

Progress Towards Universal Access: SDG 9

Sustainable Development Goal 9 calls for building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive industrialization, and fostering innovation. Target 9.c specifically aims to significantly increase access to information and communications technology and provide universal and affordable internet access. The growth in internet users reflects positive momentum toward this goal.

Global Internet User Growth (2018-2025)

1. July 2018: 3.85 billion
2. July 2020: 4.63 billion
3. July 2022: 5.14 billion
4. July 2024: 5.45 billion
5. July 2025: 5.65 billion

The addition of 1.8 billion new users since 2018 demonstrates a rapid expansion of digital infrastructure. However, with nearly one-third of the global population still offline, the objective of universal access under SDG 9 remains incomplete.

The Digital Divide: A Challenge for SDG 10

Sustainable Development Goal 10 aims to reduce inequality within and among countries. The vast disparities in internet penetration rates across different regions highlight a significant digital divide, which exacerbates existing inequalities.

Internet Penetration Rates by Region

• Highest Penetration (Northern Europe): 97.5%
• High Penetration (Northern America): 93.3%
• Global Average: 68.7%
• Low Penetration (Southern Asia): 53.8%
• Lowest Penetration (Eastern Africa): 28.5%

The stark contrast between regions like Northern Europe and Eastern Africa underscores the challenge of ensuring equitable access to technology and information, a core tenet of SDG 10.

Demographic Disparities in Internet Access

The Gender Digital Divide and SDG 5

Sustainable Development Goal 5 seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Enhancing the use of enabling technology is a key target for this goal. Global data reveals a persistent gap in internet access between men and women.

• Male Global Internet Users: 69.8%
• Female Global Internet Users: 64.4%

This global digital gender gap indicates that women are less likely to benefit from the educational, economic, and social opportunities the internet provides. In contrast, developed nations like the United States show near parity (96% of men vs. 97% of women), demonstrating that closing this gap is achievable.

Age-Related Access Gaps and SDG 10

Inequalities also manifest across age groups. Data from the United States illustrates that older populations have lower rates of internet adoption, creating an age-based digital divide.

• Ages 30-49: 98% use the internet.
• Ages 50-64: 96% use the internet.
• Ages 65+: 88% use the internet.

Ensuring that older adults are not left behind is crucial for fostering inclusive societies as envisioned by SDG 10.

Technology and Usage Patterns

Mobile Technology as a Key Enabler for SDG 9

The overwhelming prevalence of mobile internet access is a critical factor in expanding connectivity, especially in developing regions where fixed-line infrastructure may be lacking. This trend is a powerful driver for achieving the goals of SDG 9.

• Mobile Phone Access: 95.9% of internet users go online via a mobile phone.
• Laptop or Desktop Access: 62.2% of users access the internet via these devices.
• Tablet Access: 27.6% of users access the internet via a tablet.

The growth of mobile internet users in the United States, projected to reach 324.25 million by 2029, exemplifies the continued shift towards mobile-first connectivity.

Primary Online Activities

Understanding how people use the internet provides insight into its societal role. Search engines and social media remain dominant activities.

1. Search Engine Usage: 81.8% of internet users utilize search engines monthly, with Google holding a 90.48% market share.
2. Social Media Usage: 5.41 billion people (66.4% of the global population) use social media, spending an average of 2 hours and 40 minutes daily on these platforms.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article’s detailed statistics on global and regional internet usage, penetration rates, and demographic breakdowns connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The primary SDGs addressed are:

• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: This goal focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation. The article’s core subject—the expansion of internet access—is a key component of modern infrastructure and a driver of innovation.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This goal aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The article directly addresses this by providing data on the disparity in internet usage between males and females worldwide, highlighting a digital gender gap.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: This goal emphasizes the need for global partnerships to achieve the SDGs. Specifically, it includes targets related to enhancing the use of technology, particularly information and communications technology (ICT), to support sustainable development. The article’s data on internet access serves as a measure of progress in this area.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the data presented, the following specific SDG targets are relevant:

1. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.c: “Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries.” The article directly relates to this target by providing comprehensive data on the global growth of internet users (from 3.85 billion in 2018 to 5.65 billion in 2025) and the current global penetration rate (68.7%). It also highlights the significant disparities in access, such as the 97.5% penetration in Northern Europe versus only 28.5% in Eastern Africa, underscoring the ongoing challenge of achieving universal access.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.b: “Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.” The article provides specific statistics that measure progress toward this target by revealing the existing gender gap in internet access. The data point that “Nearly 64.4% of the female population worldwide uses the internet. Meanwhile, 69.8% of the male population worldwide uses the internet” directly quantifies the disparity that this target aims to eliminate.

3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.8: “Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries… and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology.” The article’s focus on the spread and use of the internet as an “enabling technology” is central to this target. The statistics on the number of internet users and penetration rates are fundamental metrics for evaluating the enhancement and adoption of ICT globally.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article is rich with statistical data that directly correspond to official or proxy SDG indicators.

1. Indicator for Target 9.c and 17.8

   • Indicator 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet. This is the most prominent indicator throughout the article. Specific data points that measure this include:
     • “5.65 billion people use the internet worldwide.”
     • “Approximately 68.7% of the global population has internet access.”
     • The detailed tables showing the number of internet users by year, both globally and for the United States.
     • The table on “Global Internet Penetration Rate by Region,” which breaks down the proportion of internet users geographically (e.g., “Eastern Africa has the lowest internet penetration rate worldwide. Just 28.5% of the population in the region used the Internet.”).

2. Indicator for Target 5.b

   • Indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex. While the article doesn’t measure ownership, it provides a closely related and highly relevant metric: the proportion of individuals *using* the internet, broken down by sex. This serves as a direct measure of the digital gender gap.
     • The key statistic is: “Nearly 64.4% of the female population worldwide uses the internet. Meanwhile, 69.8% of the male population worldwide uses the internet.” This data directly measures the gender disparity in access to ICT.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: demandsage.com