Share of the world population that has used the Internet in the last three months. A core welfare proxy for digital inclusion: access to information, public services, education, markets and civic participation. Compiled by the ITU and mirrored by the World Bank (IT.NET.USER.ZS).
How to read it
Higher is better — readings above the norm count as better.
Measured value over time. Its norm (100 % of population) is far off this scale, so the series stays worse than norm throughout — the deviation badge shows the gap.
Each driver linked to this indicator, strongest pull first, on the same timeline above. Markers are the facts that moved that driver. These are modelled influences — treat them as correlational unless a documented causal edge is shown.
Connectivity backbone and broadband investment is the primary lever raising the share of population using the internet.
Projected scenarios from the Factrail model. These describe what may happen under stated assumptions — they are not confirmed facts and may change as new data arrives.
Horizon: Dec 31, 2025 – Dec 31, 2027
On continued digital-infrastructure investment, Factrail's baseline projects global internet penetration to climb from 68% (2024) toward the low-to-mid 70s by end-2027, still well below the 100% universal-connectivity line, with the income and rural gaps narrowing only slowly.
Assumptions
Assumes broadband and mobile-network investment continues at recent momentum, no major global shock to telecom capital flows, and ITU/World Bank methodology remains broadly comparable. Assumes affordability and last-mile constraints persist, so aggregate gains outpace closure of the income/rural divide.
Share of the world population that has used the Internet in the last three months. A core welfare proxy for digital inclusion: access to information, public services, education, markets and civic participation. Compiled by the ITU and mirrored by the World Bank (IT.NET.USER.ZS).
This indicator’s slice of Factrail’s verified causal web — the people, facts, drivers and welfare indicators it connects to. Select any node to trace a path.
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This is a projected scenario, not a confirmed fact.
Updated