The Ultimate List of Internet Statistics: 50+ Stats & Facts

When it comes to the various internet statistics, there’s quite a bit of information out there. A lot of it is conflicting, so it’s hard to know exactly where one stands when it comes to the online world.

That’s why we’ve compiled this mega-list of the most up-to-date statistics and facts. We’ve sorted through the good, the bad, and the downright wrong to come up with some interesting info about the internet. 

Since we sourced all of the following from highly reputable sources, you’ll get the real skinny right here. Let’s go and learn more about the fascinating world of the net. 

Internet Statistics for 2022 (Editor’s Choice)

• 64.7% of the global population has internet access.
• 92.6% of global internet users are also mobile users. 
• English is the most widely spoken language online.
• List-based headlines are preferred by 36% of readers.
• The .com and .net domain name registrations totaled 165.2 million in Q4 2020. 
• 71% of users prefer voice search over typing a query.
• Facebook leads the pack in social media with 2.8 billion active users.
• In 2019, 67% of marketers increased their efforts on Instagram. 
• 55% of shoppers will buy internationally.
• The Asia Pacific’s e-commerce market is worth approximately $2.45 trillion.

Internet Traffic Statistics

1. 64.7% of the global population has access to the internet.

(Source: Internet World Stats)

That’s more than double the number just ten years ago. It can be attributed to cheaper tech and the increased availability of internet connections.

2. There are over 1.8 billion live websites. 

(Source: Internet Live Stats)

We need to distinguish that “live” may not necessarily be a clear representation of how many websites are on the internet. Live does not necessarily mean active. In fact, around three-quarters of today’s sites are “parked”—in other words, they’re not actively maintained, but the domains have been registered.

3. There were 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide as of January 2021.

(Source: Statista)

More than half the world’s population currently uses the internet, and the number keeps growing. The internet has indeed changed the landscape of the world in unimaginable ways.

4. China has the highest number of internet users at 934 million.

(Source: Statista / Statista)

The internet stats show that China has the highest number of internet users, with almost 1 million new users in 2020. Oddly enough, the country’s internet penetration rate is not the highest worldwide at only 55.9% in the rural areas and 76.5% in the urban regions.

5. India boasts a staggering 687 million internet users.

(Source: Statista / Statista)

India comes in second, with almost 700 million internet users.  However, like China, the country’s penetration rate is also low at only around 50%. We find these internet usage statistics quite odd and interesting at the same time.

6. The country with the highest internet penetration rate is the U.A.E. 

(Source: Statista)

Looking at the United Arab Emirates’ growth in technologies, it’s unsurprising that it has the highest internet penetration rate of 99% as of January 2021. Denmark and Sweden follow with 98%, and Switzerland and South Korea come close with 97%. 

7. In 2020, the United States’ internet penetration rate was only 85.8%.

(Source: Statista)

Surprisingly, the U.S. had an internet penetration rate of only 85.5% in 2020. However, the stats about the internet show it might reach 87.2% by 2025. Still, that’s a far cry from that of the U.A.E. or even Switzerland and South Korea.

8. Don’t move to North Korea if you’re an internet addict.

(Source: Internet World Stats)

When it comes to internet usage, North Korea has a penetration rate of only 0.1% in 2020, according to Internet World Stats, a known provider of internet statistics. This puts North Korea pretty close to the stone age in terms of internet development. The government’s strict censorship controls and the country’s general poverty have contributed to the low number.

9. Asia is the continent with the most internet users overall.

(Source: Statista)

Asia crushes the rest of the continents when we look at the overall internet traffic breakdown and the number of internet users. The region has more than 2.5 billion users. That’s significantly more than double the runner-up, Europe, which has just a little over 725 million users.

10. English is the most widely spoken language online.

(Source: Statista)

Around 26% of internet users use English, even though most of them are located in Asia. As we can see, this language has a significant effect on global internet usage.

11. There were over 366 million registered top-level domains in Q4 2020.

(Source: VeriSign)

These are your more common domains like .com, .net, .gov, and .biz. This also gives a good indication of the number of sites registered overall. 

12. The .com and .net domain name registrations reached 165.2 million in Q4 2020.

(Source: VeriSign)

Wondering how many new websites are created each day? The answer is that it’s tough to pin this down, but the above stat gives us a rough idea. You’re looking at an increase of 1.5 million domain name registrations from Q3 2020.

13. “.com” is the most commonly chosen top-level domain.

(Source: VeriSign)

Exactly 151.8 million .com domains had been registered by the end of 2020. This accounts for just over 41.5% of all top-level domains hosted, the stats show. Its popularity isn’t surprising since it’s also one of the most recognizable extensions.

14. The first site was an informational one and was created in 1991.

(Source: Internet Live Stats)

Go to TheProject.html and check it out. It bears very little resemblance to the sites we use today.

Social Media and the Internet

15. There are over 4.20 billion active social media users. 

(Source: DataReportal)

The internet usage statistics for 2021 show that there are 4.66 billion active internet users globally, of which the vast majority use social media.

16. Facebook still leads the pack in social media with 2.74 billion active users.

(Source: Statista)

That means that the chances are good that one out of two internet users has a Facebook profile. Moreover, the app usage statistics show that 98.3% of all mobile users have the Facebook app installed on their device. Even if Facebook isn’t for you, you might still be using Instagram, WhatsApp, or Facebook Messenger. These are all companies owned by Facebook and account for a significant percentage of internet traffic.

17. The number of Facebook users had increased by 2.060 billion over ten years.

(Source: Statista)

Admittedly, a lot of these may be fake profiles. According to the latest Facebook statistics, the platform deleted nearly 1.5 million fake accounts in 2020. Still, growing from 680 million users in 2010 to 2.740 billion users today, the space of a decade proves that the social media giant is doing something right.

18. India has the most Facebook users globally, according to the social media site’s stats.

(Source: Statista)

The statistics on internet users by country reveal that India has 320 million users. Moreover, The United States comes in at a somewhat distant second with 190 million users. Indonesia ranks third with 140 million users, followed by Brazil with 130 million users. From there, no one else has over 100 million users.

19. Facebook turns 17 this year.

(Source: Britannica)

The popular site was first founded in 2004. Despite being dogged by a lot of controversy over the last couple of years, it’s still growing. The website use statistics for FB have taken a knock, thanks to the recent scandal, and the company’s financial earnings are down.

20. Facebook remains the most important social platform for marketers in 2020.

(Source: Social Media Examiner)

When marketers were asked about their single most important social platform, 59% of them pointed to Facebook. Instagram comes next (17%), and LinkedIn takes third place (14%), as per the site’s statistics.

21. YouTube is the second-most popular social media site.

(Source: Statista)

YouTube is catching up with Facebook. The popular video channel has 2.291 billion active users as of January 2021, and 2 billion users log in to it monthly, the latest YouTube stats reveal.

22. Instagram comes in as the fifth, despite all the hype.

(Source: Statista)

Instagram has been getting a lot of attention, but is it really deserved? While it has over a billion active users, internet statistics show that it comes in behind the following:

• Facebook 
• YouTube
• WhatsApp
• Facebook Messenger

23. Around 67% of marketers increased their efforts on Instagram in 2021.

(Source: Social Media Examiner)

The scandals that have plagued Facebook—over the last couple of years, in particular—could be responsible for this. Instagram may place fifth in terms of its number of users, but marketers rate it as the second-most important marketing platform, based on most internet usage statistics.

24. Facebook was the first social media site to hit the billion active user mark.

(Source: Statista)

Since its launch, Facebook has been making internet history. However, its most impressive achievement is being the first site to reach one billion active subscribers.

25. Pinterest is the site to watch.

(Source: Statista)

This independently-owned site has made history in the world of technology, as the facts and statistics show that it was the fastest site to reach 10 million visitors. Over the last three years, the number of active users has more than doubled to a healthy 459 million in 2020 and is still growing. 

26. There are 98 million monthly active users on Pinterest in the US.

(Source: Statista)

If you’re marketing in the States, Pinterest is worth considering as a social media platform. The visual nature of the site is particularly appealing to shoppers and marketers alike. In fact, internet usage trends prove that people are more interested in visual sites. 

Search Engine Statistics

27. Google ranks as the top internet company globally.

(Source: Statista)

The company has a market cap of $741 billion and has earned an impressive $146.42 billion from ad revenue alone out of $181.69 billion total revenue in 2020.

28. Google is the search engine of choice for 85.86% of people.

(Source: Statista)

What percent of global internet users use Google search and other Google services? Google is the leading search engine giant, with an 85.86% market share as of January 2021. That sounds impressive, but that’s lower than the market share of 90.11% they had five years ago.

29. Google processes 40,000 searches every second.

(Source: Internet Live Stats)

That’s around 105 billion searches a month. Moreover, it’s 8.4 times the number that its closest competitor, Bing, handles over the same period. The internet has spoken, and Google’s efforts have paid off in terms of its searches producing better internet accuracy, statistics show.

30. Google raked in revenues of $941.72 billion from 2001 to 2020.

(Source: Statista)

Being the top-ranked search engine has certainly paid off. The company’s annual revenue has increased more than six-fold over the last ten years. It’s hard to believe that the company was “limping” along with a revenue of just 7 million in 2001.

31. Bing comes in as the second most popular search engine.

(Source: StatCounter)

The global internet traffic statistics show that Bing has been gaining ground. Still, it’s nowhere near to crushing Google. The search engine is responsible for 6.18% of all desktop search queries.

32. Bing handled 1.03 billion unique global visitors in January 2021.

(Source: Statista)

Despite Google’s dominance in the market, Bing isn’t so bad when you consider how often it’s used. It just goes to show that the research time spent on internet statistics is never wasted. Bing may not be as big as Google, but it is pretty big in its own right.  

33. Bing has a 6.26% market share in the US. 

(Source: Oberlo)

That’s some serious food for thought for state-side businesses and worth mentioning on our list of internet facts and statistics.

The Use of Virtual Assistants

34. 57% of us “speak” to our voice-activated devices daily.

(Source: PWC)

This includes performing a voice search, asking for music to be played, etc. It increases to 65% when talking about users aged between 25 – 49. Don’t discount the seniors, though — 57% of those aged 50 and up use voice services daily. 

Moreover, 27% of the global population use voice search on their mobile devices. The point is that businesses can no longer afford to ignore voice searches anymore.

35. Around 71% of users prefer voice search over typing a query.

(Source: PWC)

Need more convincing about preparing for voice search? Only 29% of users would type out their queries. Improvements in the performance of AI and better availability of internet and WiFi, statistics show, have contributed to this growth.

36. 46% of users will not use a voice assistant to process an order.

(Source: PWC)

We might be willing to trust our voice assistant to look for answers on the internet. That said, we’re not as quick to trust them with more complicated tasks, like processing an order, just yet. Almost half of those surveyed in these internet stats were concerned about mistakes being made.

Mobile Internet Use

37. 92.6% of global internet users are mobile users.

(Source: Statista)

4.32 billion of the 4.66 billion active internet users are unique mobile users, and the number keeps growing. If you’re not adopting a mobile-first approach with your internet marketing, you’re making a huge mistake. 

38. 99.7% of Chinese users accessed the internet via mobile devices in 2020.

(Source: Statista)

The internet statistics on the number of mobile internet users in China reveal that this country is not a “mobile-first” but a “mobile-only” nation. Almost everyone in China accesses the internet through their mobile devices. Moreover, WeChat takes the lead as the most-used app in China.

39. Google handles 95.03% of all mobile searches.

(Source: HubSpot)

This makes it crucial to ensure that your site meets Google’s basic criteria. Nearly all internet usage statistics for 2021 show that you need to look at Google-friendly techniques to improve your ranking with this search engine.  

40. 59% of us check our emails on our mobiles.

(Source: Statista)

It’s the most popular internet activity to perform on a mobile device. 54% of us use our phones for social media, the second most popular activity. Watching videos or movies come in third with 52% of users, according to Statista’s internet world stats.

E-commerce and the Internet

41. 65% of shoppers want to view a site in their native language.

(Source: A2 Hosting)

If you’re selling to an international marketplace, a multilingual site is important. Despite English being the most widely used language, localizing your content can make your site more appealing to a global audience.

42. The B2C e-commerce market’s estimated revenue for 2028 is $7.6 trillion.

(Source: Grand View Research)

That makes this an excellent time to get in on the action online. Currently, there are around 2.08 billion e-shoppers. And if you’ve ever wondered how much money is spent on the internet, the answer is bound to surprise you. In 2020 alone, $3.67 trillion was spent online. That figure is set to increase to a whopping $4.01 trillion in 2021.

43. 92.2% of people want to shop in their native currency.

(Source: Kinsta)

If you’re only listing the price in USD, you’ll lose about a third of your shoppers completely. The rest may attempt the conversion but will give preference to a site that features their currency.

44. According to web traffic stats, 55% of shoppers purchased something from another country in the last 12 months.

(Source: FIS)

Want more proof that globalization is a reality? Cross-border shopping keeps rising. Much of this can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, which pushed people to do more shopping over the internet, regardless of the location.

45. B2B sales outperform B2C sales in e-commerce.

(Source: BusinessWire / GlobeNewswire)

Based on the internet stats, the retail B2C e-commerce market’s value is projected to reach as much as $7.9 billion by 2027. However, this is a drop in the bucket when you consider that B2B e-commerce sales are expected to reach $20.9 trillion in the same year.

46. The Asia Pacific’s e-commerce market’s value stands at approximately $2.45 trillion.

(Source: Statista)

This is one of the stats about the internet that makes retailers drool, and it places this continent firmly in the top spot. North America comes in second with a value of $749 billion. Overall, global e-commerce is valued at $3.9 trillion.

47. Asia leads in terms of B2B gross merchandise value as well.

(Source: Statista)

Considering the volume of goods produced in Asia, it should come as no surprise that, in 2019, it’s GMV was $9.8 trillion, compared to North America’s GMV of $1.4 billion for the same year. The internet statistics reflect Asia’s overwhelming lead when it comes to B2B e-commerce.

48. 85% of all e-commerce sales in the Asia-Pacific region are conducted over mobile.

(Source: TradeGecko)

Mobile e-commerce sales in the Asia-Pacific region account for 85% of all e-commerce sales. And this percentage is predicted to continue rising.

Blogging

49. The number of bloggers in the United States reached 31.7 million in 2020.

(Source: FinancesOnline)

It’s hard to be precise here because of the number of expired and inactive sites. If we consider that there are already over 30 million bloggers in just the US, the worldwide total is staggering.

50. Around 70 million posts are made on WordPress monthly. 

(Source: WordPress / Statista)

If you’ve ever wondered how many blog posts are published per day, keep in mind that this is just on WordPress. We haven’t counted Tumblr, Blogger, or any of the others. Tumblr may not be nearly as popular, but it still had almost half a billion blogs in 2020.

51. List-based headlines are preferred by 36% of readers.

(Source: Impact)

Think in terms of the “Top 10 Fishing Spots” as an example. People view lists as easier to read. The same applies to graphs, as they turn complex data into easy-to-digest information. Plus, you can create a graph easily and for free. This way, readers know they’re not getting a huge block of information that they have to wade through to extract the important details.

According to the blogging statistics, bloggers are aware of this trend. 49% of them are using lists when creating their posts.

52. Blogging is more popular with B2B marketers than B2C marketers.

(Source: Social Media Examiner)

Blogging is still important for both sets, but 75% of B2B marketers use blogging as a tool as opposed to 61% of B2C.

Conclusion

That wraps up our list of 2021’s most important internet statistics. The size of the internet as a whole is mind-boggling when you look at things this way. Hopefully, you can take some of what you’ve learned here today and apply it to create your own online empire.