Mobile internet usage worldwide - statistics & facts

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Over half our time online is spent on mobile phones. Adding wireless connections to our portable devices has shaped the modern digital environment for both hardware and software, while helping digitalization in emerging markets. In mid-2024, it was estimated that over 96 percent of the global digital population used a mobile device to connect to the internet.

Mobile usage trends worldwide

During the second quarter of 2024, global users spent almost 60 percent of their online time browsing the web from their mobile phones. The mobile revolution continues to transform internet usage behavior: according to a survey of global smartphone users, watching videos was the most popular mobile activity, followed by reading the news, and online shopping. The change in download trends highlights how consumers’ preferences are shifting their mobile activities: tool apps and functional programs available on mobile have attracted a larger number of downloads in 2024 than in the previous year. Compared to the previous year, downloads of generative AI mobile apps doubled due to the novelty of the category and its popularity, while tool apps for file management experienced a 24 percent increase in 2024.

Mobile-first consumer markets

Today, mobile traffic accounts for 62.5 percent of the global internet web traffic, while in mobile-first markets such as Asia and Africa, mobiles account for an even larger share of webpage views. Thanks to smartphones’ widespread commercial availability, developing global markets experienced access to the internet via mobile devices first. In the Asia-Pacific region, the growth of the mobile industries brought the number of mobile internet users to almost 1.1 billion in China and 1.05 billionmobile phone internet users in India in 2024.

Mobile internet global growth

Despite being a fraction of the cost of a laptop or desktop computer, internet-powered mobiles can do almost as much as larger devices. Mobile broadband connections power our portable devices and fuel the digital economy, so much so that as of 2024, the entire digital world was connected via mobile phones. Mobiles represented the first connection point for users in developing markets, increasing levels of digitalization around the world. Mobile devices will continue influencing consumption trends in the post-pandemic economy, with the advancements in 5G and 6G technologies driving internet growth.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Feb 5, 2025

Key insights

Active mobile internet users worldwide
4.24bn
Mobile internet traffic as share of total global online traffic
62.76%
Country with the fastest average mobile internet speed
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Current statistics on this topic

Countries with the fastest average mobile internet speeds as of June 2024 (in Mbps)

Mobile Connections and Data

Countries with the fastest average mobile internet speed 2024

Mobile internet user penetration rate in selected regions worldwide in 2024

Mobile Internet

Mobile internet penetration rate in selected markets 2024

Number of mobile app downloads worldwide from 2017 to 2029, by segment (in millions)

Apps

Mobile app downloads worldwide 2017-2029, by segment

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Overview

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Overview

  • Global number of online users worldwide 2024, by subregion
  • Global internet access Q2 2025, by device
  • Mobile internet penetration rate in selected markets 2024
  • Mobile internet users worldwide 2020-2029
  • Media usage in an online minute 2024

Connectivity

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Connectivity

  • Number of global mobile subscriptions 1993-2024
  • Number of mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide 2007-2024
  • Countries with the fastest average mobile internet speed 2024
  • Cellular IoT network connections worldwide 2022-2034
  • Leading use cases for artificial intelligence (AI) in 5G networks worldwide in 2024

Mobile traffic

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Mobile traffic

  • Monthly mobile data traffic per smartphone worldwide 2017-2030, by region
  • Share of global mobile website traffic 2015-2025
  • Share of mobile internet traffic in global regions 2025
  • Share of mobile internet traffic in selected regions 2025
  • Global market share held by mobile internet browsers 2014-2025

Mobile market

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Mobile market

  • Mobile app downloads worldwide 2017-2029, by segment
  • Global cellular data traffic used for apps 2025, by category
  • Number of apps available in leading app stores 2024-2025
  • Number of iOS and Google Play app downloads as of Q1 2024
  • Mobile app revenue worldwide 2017-2029, by segment
  • Quarterly mobile app consumer spend on mobile apps Q4 2024

Mobile activities

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Mobile activities

  • Daily time spent online via mobile for users worldwide 2024, by region
  • Share of global daily time spent online via mobile devices 2013-2024
  • Leading mobile phone leisure activities worldwide 2024, by region
  • Most popular smartphone activities for global users 2023
  • Smartphone activities in selected countries 2023
  • Leading mobile app categories 2024, by consumer spending
  • Leading mobile app categories 2024, by downloads
  • Mobile video calls usage reach worldwide Q2 2025, by region
  • Global m-commerce revenue and share of total e-commerce 2017-2028

Mobile internet in North America and Europe

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Mobile internet in North America and Europe

  • Mobile internet usage reach in North America 2020-2029
  • U.S. internet access Q3 2024, by device
  • Canada leading online access devices 2017-2024
  • Mobile internet penetration in Europe 2024, by country
  • Mobile app downloads in Europe 2024, by segment
  • Leading smartphone activities done at least once per week by U.S. users 2024

Spotlight: Mobile-first consumer markets

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Spotlight: Mobile-first consumer markets

  • Share of internet users who access via mobile phones APAC Q3 2024, by country
  • Share of website traffic from a mobile device Asia 2017-2025
  • China: mobile phone subscriptions by month 2021-2025
  • Number of mobile internet users in China 2007-2025
  • Mobile internet users in India 2010-2050
  • Number of mobile internet users in Indonesia 2020-2029
  • Monthly data traffic in the Middle East and North Africa, 2011-2030
  • Mobile internet users in the United Arab Emirates 2020-2029
  • Africa: distribution of online traffic 2024, by device and country
  • Latin America & the Caribbean: mobile internet penetration 2025, by region
  • Chile: mobile internet users 2020-2029

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