23 Amazing Statistics on Internet and Social Media in 2026

  • Written by John Bennet Online Privacy Advocate

This year has been an explosive one for the social media world. With all of the online regulations, Twitter hashtag revolutions, and Facebook privacy scandals, the internet has offered a plethora of drama .

But even so, users are not slowing down on their internet use , with many of us spending a large portion of our day on the internet, connecting with friends, family, and the world at large.

Read on to learn about our similarities and differences , and see how we engage with the ever expanding, ever more dynamic world wide web. Editor’s Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. That said, our detailed reviews follow a strict methodology that examines all relevant performance factors to help you arrive at your own informed conclusion.

  1. The GDP of countries appears to strongly correlate with internet penetration, with the wealthiest countries having higher internet penetration and vice versa. The difference between internet users in North Korea and Qatar is 98.4%

Despite its size and population , North Korea has an internet penetration of just 0.06%, while Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have a massive 99% of its citizens connected.

Highest and lowest internet penetration by country - 1 Increase in Internet Use between 2000 and 2019 - 2

This is mainly due to less infrastructure availability.

Internet penetration by region - 3

However, it is no surprise that Kenya and Morocco spend less than 4 and 3 hours online per day respectively.

Time spent per day on the internet - 4

Linux is used with the least frequency, likely because the fact that it’s open source means it’s constantly changing, making it challenging to use if you don’t have technical know-how.

Popularity of different OS Systems Worldwide - 5

The popularity of Opera on the poorest continent is likely due to the fact that Opera requires less data than Chrome and is therefore a better option if you don’t have the latest device or biggest data package.

Popularity of different browsers - 6

The main reasons for Google’s widespread use includes relevant ads and fast results. Plus, Google comes pre-installed on Android devices , the most popular operating system.

Popularity of different search engines - 7
  1. Facebook is still the most popular social media platform across the board, with more than 1 billion people actively using the social media site .
popularity of different social media platforms - 8

Pinterest brings up the rear with just 200 million monthly users

Active Monthly Users per Social Media Platform - 9

This is likely because of recent scandals involving user privacy which have been more widely reported in the US than in other parts of the world.

Popular social media platforms by continent - 10 Social Media use by Sex - 11

LinkedIn is popular with this group is because it’s a professional networking site , and 30-49 year olds are at the stage where career development is most critical. On the other hand, WhatsApp-use in this age group likely has less to do with their love of the app and more to do with the convenience .

Social Media use by Age - 12 Social Media Use by Education - 13

In fact, in the countries with male-dominated social media, women are often discriminated against sexually, physically, and educationally (many women can’t read or write).

Facebook Gender Balance by Country - 14
  1. Facebook and WhatsApp are the most commonly used messenger apps, and are both owned by social media giant Facebook .

Notably, in China, where both Facebook and WhatsApp are blocked by the government , the Chinese-owned WeChat dominates. Similarly, the Japanese favor the Japan-based Line, and South Koreans favor the Korea-based KakaoTalk.

Popularity of different Messenger Apps - 15
  1. 52% of web surfing happens on mobile phones, which shouldn’t come a surprise. What is surprising is that while 25% of all online users use a VPN to connect to the internet, they still prefer to connect with a desktop or laptop (43%) instead of a tablet (4%) .

The reasons for using a VPN can vary from bypassing online censorship to accessing geo-blocked content as well as security reasons, which is why it makes sense that ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the two most popular VPNs in the world. These two secure providers consistently bypass VPN blocks and online censorship for users, regardless if they are using a smartphone, laptop, desktop, tablet, or another device.

Web Traffic by Device - 16 Mobile vs Desktop Use - 17

From tracking our fitness routines, to finding the quickest route for our commutes, to selling that old couch, there’s an app for basically every element of modern life.

Popularity of Different Devices Worldwide - 18 Average Use of Different Devices Throughout the Day - 19

This is likely due to advancements in mobile technology . In today’s context, mobile devices possess sufficient capabilities to support websites and platforms streaming video, a task that typically demanded higher processing power than what was previously within reach for phones.

Percentage Increase in Mobile Use for types of Websites - 20 Mobile Use Penetration by Region - 21
  1. 59% of people still prefer to read the news online rather than listen to or watch it .
Online News Consumption (US) - 22 Social Media Engagement - 23