Internet Traffic Is Surging Worldwide

Global internet traffic has surged in recent years, more than doubling between 2020 and 2025 as digital services, streaming and cloud computing continue to expand worldwide. According to data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), total traffic volumes have increased sharply across both fixed (landline) and mobile networks.

As our chart shows, landline traffic remains by far the dominant channel, rising from around 3,100 exabytes in 2020 to 7,300 exabytes in 2025. Mobile data usage has also grown rapidly, climbing from about 560 to 1,500 exabytes over the same period. In both cases, Asia-Pacific accounts for the largest share, at 50 to 60 percent, with traffic more than doubling across fixed networks and reaching over 900 exabytes on mobile alone.

Other regions have followed a similar upward trajectory, albeit at lower levels. The Americas and Europe remain the second- and third-largest markets, while regions such as Africa and the Arab States have recorded particularly strong relative growth, reflecting rising connectivity and smartphone adoption.

Overall, the data highlights the accelerating scale of global data consumption, with fixed networks continuing to carry the bulk of traffic even as mobile usage expands rapidly. With one exabyte equivalent to one billion gigabytes, which is roughly equivalent to the storage capacity of about 8 million 128GB smartphones, the figures underscore the massive and growing infrastructure demands of the digital economy.