The world is more interconnected than ever, with the internet serving as a fundamental pillar of modern information in today’s fast-paced digital age. According to German online company Statista, there
are 5.56 billion internet users globally as of February 2025, representing 67.9 per cent of the world’s population. Among these users, 5.24 billion, or 63.9 per cent of the global population, are active on social media.
China boasts the highest number of internet users worldwide, with 1.11 billion people connected, according to the report by Statista. This positions China as the largest online community globally, with nearly 78 per cent of its population online.
“China ranks first in the list of countries with the most internet users. Due to its ongoing and fast-paced economic development and a cultural inclination towards technology, more than a billion of the estimated 1.4 billion population in China are online. As of the third quarter of 2023, around 87 per cent of Chinese internet users stated using WeChat, the most popular social network in the country. On average, Chinese internet users spent five hours and 33 minutes online daily,” the report stated.
India follows China as the second-largest online market, boasting 806 million users, which represents 55 per cent of its population. The United States ranks third with 322 million users, accounting for 95.6 per cent of its total population. Here are the top 10 countries with the largest digital populations by internet users as of February 2025:
| Rank | Country | Internet Users (millions) in 2025 |
| 1 | China | 1,110 |
| 2 | India | 806 |
| 3 | United States of America | 322 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 212 |
| 5 | Brazil | 183 |
| 6 | Russia | 133 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 116 |
| 8 | Mexico | 110 |
| 9 | Japan | 109 |
| 10 | Nigeria | 107 |
ALSO READ | GK: Top 10 Visa-Free Countries For Indian Passport Holders
The number of internet users in India has risen by 49 million, or 6.5 per cent, between January 2024 and January 2025, according to a report by DataReportal Digital 2025. Despite this growth, India’s internet penetration rate remains relatively low at just over 55 per cent, trailing behind both the U.S. and China.
