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

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 242 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 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 United States, around 93% 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%), 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 January 2024, there are an estimated 5.04 billion social media users worldwide.

16 Facebook is the most popular platform worlwide, based on monthly active users (3.49 billion), followed by YouTube (2.49 billion), WhatsApp (2 billion) and Instagram (2 billion).17 As of 2024, the average daily social media usage of internet users worldwide amounted to 143 minutes per day.18 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 time.18 Broadband speed Home internet speed has grown exponentially in the past decade.

Globally, the average broadband speed is currently double what it was in 2018 — 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 broadband connections globally is 92.26 Mbps download and 44.65 Mbps upload.5 Users in the United States get median fixed broadband speeds of 242.38 Mbps download and 30.68 Mbps upload, ranking sixth fastest in the world.7 The average internet plan in the U.S.is advertised at 307.73 Mbps download speeds.8 Broadband speed in the U.S.

increased 18% overall between 2021 and 2022.9 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.

19% of the global population has a home broadband subscription.1 In the United States, there are 37.58 broadband subscriptions per 100 people.4 1 in 5 U.S.households are not connected to the internet at home.10 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 area.10 83% of White Americans have a home broadband subscription, compared with 68% of Black adults and 75% of Hispanic adults.11 86% of suburban Americans have a broadband subscription, compared with 77% of adults living in urban areas and 73% in rural areas.11  The average U.S.household spends $118/mo.

on cable and internet.13 7% of Americans say they don’t use the internet at all.14 References https://www.itu.int/itu-d/reports/statistics/facts-figures-2023/index/ https://ourworldindata.org/internet https://gs.statcounter.com/platform-market-share/desktop-mobile/worldwide/#yearly-2011-2022 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2 https://www.speedtest.net/global-index https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/qatar#mobile https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/united-states#mobile https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/measuring-broadband-america/measuring-fixed-broadband-twelfth-report https://www.allconnect.com/blog/internet-speed-trends https://ntia.gov/blog/2022/switched-why-are-one-five-us-households-not-online https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2024/01/31/americans-use-of-mobile-technology-and-home-broadband/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/19/some-digital-divides-persist-between-rural-urban-and-suburban-america/ https://www.doxo.com/w/insights/u-s-cable-internet-market-size-and-household-spending-report-2023/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/02/7-of-americans-dont-use-the-internet-who-are-they/ https://www.gsma.com/newsroom/press-release/5g-momentum-continues-with-1-6-billion-connections-worldwide-rising-to-5-5-billion-by-2030-according-to-gsma-intelligence/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/ Written by: Joe Supan Principal Writer, Broadband Content Joe is a senior writer for CNET covering home technology and broadband.Prior to joining CNET, Joe led MYMOVE’s moving coverage and reported on broadband policy, the digital divide, and privacy issues for the br… Read more Edited by: Robin Layton Senior Editor, Broadband Content Read bio What to read next Read more Featured Report: Internet users are gobbling data by more than a half-terabyte Robin Layton — 4 min read Featured Digital divide: Organizations that are helping bridge the gap Joe Supan — 5 min read Featured 10 questions you should ask before choosing an internet service Robin Layton — 3 min read Latest Friday, May 9, 2025 Report: 1 in 5 households is not connected to the internet Joe Supan — 5 min read Wednesday, May 7, 2025 From resumes to internet connections: A step-by-step guide to applying for jobs in the digital age Camryn Smith — 10 min read Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Does the weather affect your internet? Robin Layton — 4 min read