2.6 billion without the Internet

A third of people are still offline

2.6 billion people still have no access to online information.

(Bild: thinkstockphotos.de)

Around 5.5 billion people worldwide have had access to the internet this year, but just under a third of people worldwide are still offline. The proportion of those not connected fell from 35 to 32 percent of the world's population, as reported by the UN Telecommunication Union ITU in Geneva. The development is heading in the right direction, but needs to progress faster.

According to the ITU, 2.6 billion people did not have access to online information this year or were therefore unable to take advantage of educational opportunities, for example. Most of them live in less developed countries. One problem: in some places, connections cost almost a third of the average monthly income.

In industrialized countries, 93 percent of people have access to the Internet, in low-income countries 27 percent, according to ITU estimates. There is also a difference when it comes to cell phones: in affluent countries, 95% of people over the age of ten have one, compared to only 56% in low-income countries.

In the USA, there are 125 mobile broadband contracts for every 100 inhabitants with mobile Internet access, compared to 112 in Europe and 52 in Africa.

The difference between women and men
Overall, 70% of men worldwide will use the internet this year (2023: 68%) and 65% of women (63%). Among 15 to 24-year-olds, the figure was 79% last year. In 2005, this figure was less than 20% worldwide. In 2019, slightly more than half of the world's population had online access for the first time.

In all regions of the world, internet usage is lower in rural areas than in cities. In Europe, for example, 93% of city dwellers surf the web, but only 86% of the rural population.