As the global population grows and access to the internet expands, every year, you’re seeing more and more people join social media.
According to Statista, as of October 2025, the vast majority of humankind is online: 6.04 billion individuals, or 73.2% of the global population, are internet users.
Meanwhile, most people who are internet users are also social media users. 5.66 billion people, or 68.7% of the global population, are on social media platforms.
In countries like the Netherlands, Norway, and Saudi Arabia, internet coverage is nearly universal. As of February 2025, 99% (yes, that’s right, 99%!) of the population uses the internet.
Eastern Asia boasts more than 1.34 billion internet users, ranking first by region. Meanwhile, Southern Asia comes in second with 1.2 billion users.
On the complete opposite side of the net popularity scale, you have North Korea, where there’s virtually no internet use among the general population. The country ranks last in internet usage worldwide.
Factors like age, geography, and income affect the likelihood that you’re an internet user. Statista notes that, for example, in African countries, there’s a larger gender disparity when it comes to internet use: fewer women are online compared to men.
Meanwhile, younger people are more likely to be online than older folks.
And high-income countries tend to have populations that are online, compared to low-income nations.
Statista reports that 98% of young individuals between 15 and 24 are internet users. When you zoom out to a global scale, 79% of people in this age group are online.
Meanwhile, 93% of people living in high-income countries use the internet. This is more than 3 times what’s found in low-income markets, where internet use is just 27%.
Not all social media networks are created equal. Meta, for instance, is a powerhouse that dominates the market. Currently, the market leader is Meta’s Facebook, with 3.07 billion monthly active users, as of February 2025.
Meta’s Instagram (3 billion monthly active users), WhatsApp (also 3 billion monthly active users), and Messenger (nearly 1 billion monthly active users) are also huge, Statista reports.
