Internet penetration rate worldwide April 2022, by region

As of April 2022, Northern Europe was ranked first when it came to regions with the highest internet penetration rate, with 98 percent of the population having internet access. This was followed closely by Western Europe at 94 percent. Overall, the global average internet penetration rate was roughly 63 percent.

Global internet use

The ongoing development of telecommunication networks and infrastructure has had a direct impact on internet penetration on a global scale. Thanks to advancing mobile technology and the continuous modernization of previously less-developed regions, the number of internet users worldwide has been on the rise since 2005, reaching an estimated 4.9 billion in 2021. In the world-wide-web, Google's Chrome still continues to hold the largest market share when it comes to internet browsers, roughly 63.8 percent of the total market as of December 2021, followed by Apple's Safari at 19.6 percent.

Majority of global internet users are in Asia

Asia has the largest internet user base – over an estimated 2.7 billion internet users in this region alone – with East Asia accounting for the majority of this share. Despite the large volume of internet users in this region, Asia is far from being a leader in regards of online penetration. Eastern Asia, for instance, had an online penetration rate of close to 73 percent as of January 2022, slightly above the global average that year, which stood at 60 percent. Northern Europe was a clear global leader, with an online penetration rate of 98 percent.