An estimated 6.3 billion people used the internet in 2026, yet adoption lagged sharply in low-income countries despite widespread network coverage, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said Tuesday.
The estimate puts 76% of the world's population online. The ITU revised its 2025 figure to 6.1 billion people, or 74%, making the latest count an increase in both users and share. About 2 billion people remain offline.
The divide is pronounced across income groups. Internet use reached 93% of people in high-income countries, compared with 32% in low-income countries. ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin said going without a connection restricts opportunities in education and work.
Affordability is one obstacle. In the least developed countries, the median price of a data-only mobile broadband basket amounted to 6.1% of gross national income (GNI) per capita. That exceeds the ITU's 2% affordability target. About 30% of economies fell short of its targets for both mobile and fixed broadband.
Network availability tells another part of the story. At least a 3G mobile network reaches 97% of the world's population, a far higher share than the proportion using the internet. Coverage by 3G or better has grown seven percentage points since moving above 90% in 2018.
Newer mobile service is much less evenly available. Fifth-generation, or 5G, networks reach 86% of people in high-income countries and 4% in low-income countries, according to the ITU.
The agency identifies the price of service, network availability and digital skills as barriers to using connectivity. It says those factors also affect who can benefit from emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. The gap between basic-network coverage and actual use shows that expanding coverage alone does not ensure people get online.
The ITU expects to release its next set of price data in December 2026.
