By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA)— More than 240 million people came online in 2025, bringing the world's total number of internet users to six billion, according to a new report released Monday by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
While the data showed steady progress in expanding global connectivity, the UN agency warned in a statement that persistent disparities in quality, affordability, and skills are preventing billions from fully benefiting from digital technologies.
Despite the gains, the ITU estimated that 2.2 billion people remain offline, the vast majority in low- and middle-income countries. The report stressed the need for stronger digital infrastructure, affordable services, and improved digital skills as technologies such as artificial intelligence become increasingly embedded in daily life.
"In a world where digital technologies are essential to so much of daily life, everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from being online," ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said. She noted that today's digital divides are increasingly defined not only by access, but by speed, reliability, affordability, and skills.
The report highlighted widening quality gaps caused by the uneven expansion of advanced mobile technologies. For the first time, the ITU estimated the total number of 5G subscriptions, which now total around three billion—roughly one-third of all mobile broadband subscriptions.
Although 5G networks are expected to reach 55% of the global population, access remains unequal. In high-income countries, coverage reaches 84% of the population, while in low-income countries it is only 4%.
Usage patterns illustrated the same divide, according to the report, with a typical user in a high-income country generating nearly eight times more mobile data than one in a low-income country.
Affordability and digital skills also remain significant barriers, the report found. While the median price of a data-only mobile broadband basket has decreased, the ITU noted that access remains unaffordable in around 60% of low- and middle-income countries. Most Internet users possess only basic skills, while more advanced capabilities, including online safety, problem-solving, and digital content creation, are developing more slowly, it added.
Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, the director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau, said reliable data are essential for effective digital policies and for achieving the shared vision of universal connectivity. He stressed that sustained and well-targeted efforts in infrastructure, skills, and data systems are needed to ensure that no one is left behind.
The report showed that digital development remains closely tied to economic development, gender, and location. Internet use reached 94% in high-income countries but only 23% in low-income countries.
Men remain more connected than women, with 77% of men online compared to 71% of women. Urban populations see much higher connectivity rates at 85%, while only 58% of rural residents are online, the report found.
Younger people are also far more connected, with 82% of those aged 15 to 24 using the Internet, compared to 72% of the rest of the population.
