Report: 1 in 5 households is not connected to the internet

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Key findings

• Over two-thirds of the global population uses the internet, but 2.6 billion people are still offline
• More than three-quarters of the world’s population now own a mobile phone
• The median download speed in the U.S. is over 287 Mbps, the sixth fastest in the world
• U.S. households spend an average of $118/mo. on cable and internet
• 96% of U.S. adults say they use the internet

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The scale of the internet can be hard to wrap your head around. About two-thirds of the world now uses the internet regularly, and in the U.S. around 96% of adults are online. That said, there are still huge disparities in internet use. To help monitor the state of the internet globally and in the U.S., Allconnect will continue to monitor and update these key markers as new data becomes available. 

Global internet usage

The past two decades have seen an explosion in internet connectivity, adding about 98 million users in the past year alone. Of course, this isn’t distributed evenly — there are still sharp disparities in internet use between men and women, urban and rural residents, and different regions.

• An estimated 5.5 billion people, or 68% of the world’s population, use the internet¹
• North America has the highest share of its population using the internet (91.0%), followed by Europe and Central Asia (83.8%), the Middle East and North Africa (75.5%), and Latin America and the Caribbean (73.9%)²
• Sub-Saharan Africa is the least connected region, with just 29% of the population using the internet²
• Globally, 70% of men use the internet, compared to 65% of women. That means there were 189 million more men than women using the internet in 2024¹
• 83% of people living in cities used the internet in 2024, compared to just 48% of people living in rural areas¹
• Over the past five years, data usage has increased by an average of 22% yearly for each internet user¹

Mobile

For many people, smartphones are their primary gateway to the internet. In areas without reliable or affordable broadband internet, mobile connections do much of the heavy lifting of getting residents online.

• In 2024, 80% of the world’s population aged 10 and older own a mobile phone¹
• Mobile broadband (3G or above) is currently available to 96% of the world’s population¹
• Since 2019, 5G coverage has increased to reach 51% of the world’s population in 2024¹
• 5G connections are expected to represent over half (51%) of mobile connections by 2029, and 56% by the end of 2030¹⁵
• 5G has been the fastest mobile generation rollout to date, surpassing one billion connections by the end of 2022, rising to 1.6 billion connections at the end of 2023 and 5.5 billion by 2030¹⁵
• As of 2024, there are 112 mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people¹
• As of March 2025, the average speed for mobile connections around the world is 91.50 Mbps download and 13.62 Mbps upload⁵
• The United Arab Emirates leads the world in mobile speed, with 543.29 Mbps median download speed⁵
• Users in the U.S. get median mobile speeds of 173.80 Mbps download, which is 12th fastest in the world⁷

Social media

We know mobile broadband use has grown exponentially, but what exactly are people using it for? The answer is simple: Social media and entertainment.

• As of February 2025, there are an estimated 5.24 billion social media users worldwide¹⁶
• Facebook is the most popular platform worldwide, based on monthly active users (3.7 billion), followed by YouTube (2.5 billion), WhatsApp (2.0 billion) and Instagram (2.0 billion)¹⁷
• As of 2024, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 143 minutes per day¹⁸
• In the U.S., internet users spent about two hours and 16 minutes per day on social media, but this doesn’t account for all screen time¹⁸

Broadband speed

Home internet speed has grown exponentially in the past decade. Globally, the average broadband speed doubled between 2018 and 2023 — going from 46 Mbps to 110 Mbps — and shows no signs of slowing down as connected homes require increasing amounts of bandwidth.

• The median speed for fixed broadband connections globally is 99.92 Mbps download and 54.66 Mbps upload⁵
• Users in the U.S. get median fixed broadband speeds of 287.43 Mbps download and 52.52 Mbps upload, ranking sixth fastest in the world⁷
• The average internet plan in the U.S. is advertised at 467 Mbps download speeds⁸
• Broadband speed in the U.S. increased 18% overall between 2021 and 2022⁹

Broadband access

While internet access has exploded over the past decade, it has not been distributed equitably. Here’s where we currently stand on the digital divide in the U.S. and around the world.

• 20% of the global population has a home broadband subscription¹
• In the Americas, there are 27 broadband subscriptions per 100 people⁴
• 1 in 5 U.S. households are not connected to the internet at home¹⁰
• 58% of offline households say they have no interest in going online, while 18% said it’s too expensive and 4% said it’s not available in their area¹⁰
• 83% of white Americans have a home broadband subscription, compared with 68% of Black adults and 75% of Hispanic adults¹¹
• 86% of suburban Americans have a broadband subscription, compared with 77% of adults living in urban areas and 73% in rural areas¹¹ 
• The average U.S. household spends $118/mo. on cable and internet¹³
• Today, 96% of U.S. adults say they use the internet¹⁹

Written by

Camryn Smith

As one of Allconnect’s writers, Camryn Smith helps consumers navigate complex home internet servic… View profile

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Anine Sus

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