65 Fascinating Broadband Statistics for 2026

Brightlio has curated 65 broadband statistics for 2026 using the latest available data on internet adoption, fixed broadband, mobile broadband, 5G, fiber, and regional connectivity.

• Global broadband and internet adoption.
• Broadband growth across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Americas, and Australia.

Global Broadband Statistics

Global connectivity continued to expand in 2025 and 2026. Fixed broadband, fiber, 5G, fixed wireless access, and satellite services all contributed to the next phase of internet growth.

1. An estimated 6 billion people used the internet worldwide in 2025. (ITU)
2. Internet users represented 74% of the global population in 2025. (ITU)
3. The global online population increased by more than 240 million people during 2025. (ITU)
4. Around 2.2 billion people remained offline worldwide in 2025. (ITU)
5. Internet adoption reached 94% in high-income countries in 2025. (ITU)
6. Only 23% of people in low-income countries used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
7. About 96% of the world’s offline population lived in low- and middle-income countries in 2025. (ITU)
8. 77% of men worldwide used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
9. 71% of women worldwide used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
10. Internet adoption reached 85% in urban areas worldwide in 2025. (ITU)
11. Internet adoption reached 58% in rural areas worldwide in 2025. (ITU)
12. 82% of people aged 15 to 24 used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
13. 72% of the rest of the global population used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
14. More than 96% of the world’s population was covered by a mobile broadband network in 2025. (ITU)
15. 5G coverage reached more than half of the world’s population in 2025. (ITU)
16. 5G accounted for more than one-third of mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide in 2025. (ITU)
17. More than 4 in 5 people worldwide owned a mobile phone in 2025. (ITU)
18. Roughly two-thirds of economies met the Broadband Commission’s affordability target for internet access in 2025. (ITU)
19. Global fixed broadband subscriptions reached 1.591 billion in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
20. Global fixed broadband subscriptions increased 4.15% year over year in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
21. Fiber-to-the-premises connections represented 73.93% of global fixed broadband subscriptions in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
22. Fixed wireless access subscriptions increased 6.61% quarter over quarter in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
23. Satellite broadband subscriptions increased 11.02% quarter over quarter in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
24. Global 5G subscriptions reached close to 3.3 billion in Q2 2026. (Ericsson)
25. Monthly global mobile network data traffic exceeded 220 exabytes in Q2 2026, after growing 23% year over year. (Ericsson)

Broadband Statistics by Region

Africa

1. About 36% of Africa’s population used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
2. Internet use in Africa reached 40% among men and 31% among women in 2025. (ITU)
3. Internet adoption reached 55% in Africa’s urban areas in 2025. (ITU)
4. Only 21% of Africa’s rural population used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
5. Among Africans aged 15 to 24, internet use reached 50% in 2025, compared with 32% for the rest of the population. (ITU)
6. Zimbabwe had 6.54 million internet users at the end of 2025, equal to 38.4% of its population. (DataReportal)
7. Zimbabwe’s median fixed internet download speed reached 37.69 Mbps in 2025, up 72.7% year over year. (DataReportal)
8. Zambia had 7.29 million internet users at the end of 2025, representing 33.0% of the population; 92.4% of its mobile connections used 3G, 4G, or 5G networks. (DataReportal)

Asia and the Pacific

1. Internet adoption in Asia-Pacific reached 77% in 2025. (ITU)
2. Internet use in Asia-Pacific reached 81% among men and 74% among women in 2025. (ITU)
3. Internet use reached 88% in Asia-Pacific’s urban areas in 2025. (ITU)
4. Internet use reached 66% in Asia-Pacific’s rural areas in 2025. (ITU)
5. Among people aged 15 to 24 in Asia-Pacific, internet adoption reached 89% in 2025, compared with 75% for the rest of the population. (ITU)
6. South and East Asia accounted for 50.82% of global fixed broadband subscriptions in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
7. South and East Asia generated 62.6% of global fixed broadband net additions in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)
8. India’s fixed broadband subscriber base increased 5.91% quarter over quarter and 28.33% year over year in Q1 2026. (Point Topic)

Europe

1. About 92% of Europe’s population used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
2. Internet use in Europe reached 93% among men and 92% among women in 2025. (ITU)
3. Internet adoption reached 94% in Europe’s urban areas in 2025. (ITU)
4. Internet adoption reached 87% in Europe’s rural areas in 2025. (ITU)
5. Among Europeans aged 15 to 24, internet use reached 98% in 2025, compared with 91% for the rest of the population. (ITU)
6. Western Europe represented 11.28% of global fixed broadband subscribers in Q1 2026 and grew 0.19% from the previous quarter. (Point Topic)
7. 5G represented 54% of mobile subscriptions in Western Europe at the end of 2025. (Ericsson)

The Americas

1. About 88% of people in the Americas used the internet in 2025. (ITU)
2. Internet use in the Americas reached 89% among men and 87% among women in 2025. (ITU)
3. Internet adoption reached 91% in urban areas across the Americas in 2025. (ITU)
4. Internet adoption reached 75% in rural areas across the Americas in 2025. (ITU)
5. Among people aged 15 to 24 in the Americas, internet use reached 97% in 2025, compared with 87% for the rest of the population. (ITU)
6. Latin America recorded the fastest regional fixed broadband growth in Q1 2026 at 1.78% quarter over quarter. (Point Topic)
7. North America had the world’s highest regional 5G subscription penetration at 79% at the end of 2025. (Ericsson)

Australia

1. Australia had 26.2 million internet users at the end of 2025. (DataReportal)
2. Australia’s internet penetration rate reached 97.1% at the end of 2025. (DataReportal)
3. Australia added about 252,000 internet users between October 2024 and October 2025, an increase of 1.0%. (DataReportal)
4. About 794,000 people in Australia remained offline at the end of 2025, equal to 2.9% of the population. (DataReportal)
5. Australia had 34.1 million cellular mobile connections in late 2025. (DataReportal)
6. Cellular mobile connections in Australia were equivalent to 126% of the population in late 2025 because many people use more than one connection. (DataReportal)
7. Australia’s median mobile internet download speed reached 122.20 Mbps in 2025. (DataReportal)
8. Australia’s median fixed internet download speed reached 95.29 Mbps in 2025. (DataReportal)
9. Australia’s median mobile internet speed increased 24.9% in the twelve months to August 2025. (DataReportal)
10. Australia’s median fixed internet speed increased 32.6% in the twelve months to August 2025. (DataReportal)

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