The 2025 Global Digital Report talks about different digital trends, their roles in our lives and how these digital and AI trends are changing users' perceptions of them. The report states that right now the total population of the world is 8.2 billion, with 58.1% urban population. 5.78 billion people in the world are unique mobile phone subscribers which make about 70.5% of the global population. 5.56 billion (67.9%) individuals in the world use the internet, while there are 5.24 billion (63.9%) people in the world who have social media user identities.
The digital world is expanding rapidly and now there are twice as many internet users than people who are offline. The data also shows that even though 5.78 billion people in the world have smartphones, 220 million people among them do not use the internet or do not have internet access. Most of the people are turning to connected devices and services so they can do a lot more activities than they did years ago which shows that people’s digital behaviors are evolving over time. There was a 0.5% increase in unique mobile subscribers in January 2025 (5.78 billion) as compared to October 2024 (5.75 billion).
In some past surveys by GWI, the motivations of people for using the internet had fallen but now they have gotten reversed in 2025, with finding information being the top motivation for people to use the internet, with 62.8% of adults naming it their top reason. 6 in 10 (60.2%) users are also using the internet to stay in touch with their family and friends. Other reasons for using the internet include keeping up to date with news and events (55.0%), watching videos, tv shows or movies (54.7%) and researching how to do things (51.1%).
The report also showed how much time people are spending on using the internet, with a 0.6% increase in Q3 2024 from Q2 2024. Internet users over the ages of 55-64 have increased their use of the internet over the years, while people under age 45 have also increased their time spent on the internet. People between the ages 16-25 are spending the most time on the internet, with average 7 hours 35 minutes spent by females and 7 hours 11 minutes spent by males.
Take a look at the charts below for more insights:
H/T: DataRePortal / Digital 2025 Global Overview Report
Read next: Long-Form Wins: YouTube Users Ditch Shorts for Videos Over 30 Minutes
The digital world is expanding rapidly and now there are twice as many internet users than people who are offline. The data also shows that even though 5.78 billion people in the world have smartphones, 220 million people among them do not use the internet or do not have internet access. Most of the people are turning to connected devices and services so they can do a lot more activities than they did years ago which shows that people’s digital behaviors are evolving over time. There was a 0.5% increase in unique mobile subscribers in January 2025 (5.78 billion) as compared to October 2024 (5.75 billion).
In some past surveys by GWI, the motivations of people for using the internet had fallen but now they have gotten reversed in 2025, with finding information being the top motivation for people to use the internet, with 62.8% of adults naming it their top reason. 6 in 10 (60.2%) users are also using the internet to stay in touch with their family and friends. Other reasons for using the internet include keeping up to date with news and events (55.0%), watching videos, tv shows or movies (54.7%) and researching how to do things (51.1%).
The report also showed how much time people are spending on using the internet, with a 0.6% increase in Q3 2024 from Q2 2024. Internet users over the ages of 55-64 have increased their use of the internet over the years, while people under age 45 have also increased their time spent on the internet. People between the ages 16-25 are spending the most time on the internet, with average 7 hours 35 minutes spent by females and 7 hours 11 minutes spent by males.
Take a look at the charts below for more insights:
Read next: Long-Form Wins: YouTube Users Ditch Shorts for Videos Over 30 Minutes
