Internet penetration in India has increased fourfold in the past decade, rising from 12.6 percent penetration nationwide in 2012 to 48.7 percent penetration in 2022. This is according to data from DataReportal. While this may not sound that high, in absolute numbers that's 692 million people. India therefore ranks second in the world in terms of active internet users.
Internet penetration has been increasing fairly steadily over the past decade, with urban centers accounting for higher densities of connections than rural areas. According to Statista analyst Tanushree Basuroy: “Despite incredibly low internet prices, internet usage in India has yet to reach its full potential. Lack of awareness and a tangible gender gap lie at the heart of the matter, with affordable mobile handsets and mobile internet connections presenting only a partial solution.”
Statista forecasts the trend of growth to continue in the coming years, with an anticipated 244 million households online by 2028.
2023 has been marked as provisional because, according to DataReportal, delays due to data collection and analysis of internet user figures mean that the latest published figures often under-represent reality and that growth may be higher than the latest number suggests.
