The number of people using the internet worldwide has climbed to an estimated 6.3 billion in 2026, representing 76 percent of the global population, although another 2 billion remain offline, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has said.
The agency’s latest report on Tuesday showed an increase from 6.1 billion users, or 74 percent of the population, recorded in 2025.
Despite the expansion, internet access remains deeply unequal across income groups, with 93 percent of people connected in high-income countries, compared with just 32 percent in low-income countries.
“In the age of AI, being offline means being shut out of countless opportunities, from education to employment,” ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said in the report.
“Now more than ever, we need to expand connectivity and make it meaningful for everyone, everywhere,” she added.
The findings also revealed differences across gender and geography, with internet use among men standing at 79 percent, compared with 74 percent among women.
Meanwhile, 82 percent of urban populations use the internet, compared with 63 percent in rural areas.
Although basic mobile networks are accessible to nearly the entire global population, newer technologies remain unevenly distributed, according to the report.
The report found that 5G networks cover 59 percent of people worldwide, with coverage ranging from 86 percent in high-income countries to just 4 percent in low-income countries.
Affordability also remains a barrier, with 30 percent of economies failing to meet either the fixed or mobile broadband affordability benchmark.
