In April 2025, a report published by We Are Social in partnership with Meltwater highlights essential data regarding Internet and social media usage globally. This report emphasizes a continuous growth in the number of internet users as well as a significant evolution in online behaviors, presenting key figures on Internet access and the use of social platforms. Discover here the main trends and significant figures that shape the global digital landscape in 2025.
Essential data on global Internet
According to the report, 5.64 billion individuals are now connected to the Internet, representing 68.7% of the global population. In a year, 144 million new people have joined the network, which reflects an increase of 2.6% compared to the previous year. Moreover, it has been noted that, on average, an internet user spends more than 33 hours per week browsing the web, thereby illustrating the growing importance of the Internet in daily life.
Mobile devices dominate Internet access, with 95.9% of users primarily accessing it through their smartphones. However, a majority, or 61.4% of users, also connect from a computer. Meanwhile, Internet usage is also progressing in rural areas, with 47.9% of that population using the Internet, compared to 83.6% of the urban population.
Trends in social media usage
Social media continues to play a central role in users’ lives. In particular, YouTube stands out as the most popular platform, surpassing Facebook, which, although it has 3.7 billion users, must share its position with other networks. Indeed, Instagram and WhatsApp are in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively. Notably, TikTok, with 1.84 billion users, has gained popularity, firmly establishing itself within the digital landscape.
Content consumption habits are also evolving, with a large majority of internet users claiming to watch videos online regularly. Approximately 87.5% of online adults spend time on short video formats such as TikTok, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. In fact, the time spent on TikTok is impressive: an active user spends an average of 1 hour and 35 minutes per day, exceeding the time allocated to YouTube and Instagram.
Connection speed and browser usage
Regarding connection speed, a significant increase has been observed. The upload speed grew by 15.9% and the download speed increased by 66.5% for mobile data and 6.4% for fixed connections. Singapore remains at the top in terms of internet speeds, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, while France ranks 5th.
As for web browsers, Google Chrome continues to dominate with a market share of 66.3%, followed by Safari (18%) and Edge (5.3%). Additionally, Google monopolizes 18.6% of global traffic, once again demonstrating the crucial importance of this search engine in the digital landscape.
This report sheds light on the constantly evolving dynamics of the Internet and social media on a global scale. With striking figures and increasingly intensive usage, this essential data reaffirms the impact of the Internet on modes of communication and interaction within our modern society.
