More than a quarter of the world has NEVER used the internet: Shocking report reveals how 2.2 billion people remain offline

It might feel like everyone is constantly online, but the UN has revealed that more than a quarter of the world's population has never used the internet.

A report from the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows that around six billion people are using the internet.

That is up 200 million from the 5.8 billion people using internet services in 2024.

However, that leaves a shocking 2.2 billion people completely offline.

According to the ITU's annual 'Facts and Figures' survey, the number of people who have never used the internet has only decreased slightly from 2.3 billion in 2024.

This is despite 3G mobile networks already covering 96 per cent of the world's population. 

The report found that the vast majority of people who lack internet access live in the world's poorest areas.

Overall, 96 per cent of the 2.2 billion offline people live in either low or middle–income countries.

Despite big improvements in internet access, the report's authors found there is still a gaping 'connectivity gap' between the richest and poorest countries. 

In low–income countries – those where the average income is less than $1,135 (£862) per person – just 23 per cent of people are using the internet. 

Africa, where just 36 per cent of people have ever been online, is the area with the lowest internet use by a wide margin.

This is followed by the Arab States, where 70 per cent of the population is online, and the Asia Pacific region, where 77 per cent of people are online. 

Meanwhile, in Europe and the Americas, only eight to 12 per cent of people are not online.

In the group of 'high–income' countries, where the average income is over $13,935 (£10,580) per person, around 94 per cent of people are online. 

ITU Secretary–General Doreen Bogdan–Martin says: 'In a world where digital technologies are essential to so much of daily life, everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from being online.

'This report highlights how today's digital divides are being defined by speed, reliability, affordability, and skills, all of which we must prioritise as we work toward our mission of universal connectivity.' 

Even within countries, the report found that there are big differences in how much internet access different groups have.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, young people around the world are more online than their older counterparts.

Globally, 82 per cent of people aged 15 to 24 use the internet compared to 72 per cent of the general population.

This gap was even larger in areas with long internet uptake, such as Africa, where half of young people use the internet compared to just a third of the general population. 

There were also big differences between urban and rural areas, with rural regions generally being left behind.

Almost half (42 per cent) of all people living in rural areas have never used the internet compared to 85 per cent of city–dwellers.

Even in Europe, where internet use is almost ubiquitous, 13 per cent of people in rural areas have never been online. 

These big discrepancies come despite general improvements to the world's internet access.

In 2018, half of the world's population had ever been online.

Even after a sharp increase during the Covid–19 pandemic, 37 per cent of the world's population had never used the internet in 2022.  

Today, more than half the world, 55 per cent, is covered by a 5G network, while only 312 million people don't have access to at least a 3G signal.

However, the UN points out that the price of internet access remains too high for many people.

Globally, the price of a data–only mobile contract remains affordable for 60 per cent of low and middle–income countries.

Cosmas Zavazava, Telecommunication Development Bureau Director at the ITU, says: 'Reliable data are the foundation of effective digital policies and of our shared vision to connect the world.

'By working together and directing resources where the needs are greatest, we can ensure that no one is left behind and that everyone benefits fully and safely from the opportunities of the digital age.'