Internet Statistics In The World Today

The internet connects us all. From pole to pole, across oceans and vast landscapes, humankind is connected to an ever-growing and evolving digital network that let’s face it; we just couldn’t live without any longer. It’s hard to look back on a not-so-distant past when the internet wasn’t so integral to our daily lives. Now, we eat, sleep, and breathe our digital connections.

Some believe this constant connection to an artificial world isn’t healthy, but the fact is, the internet isn’t going anywhere. With billions of people, billions of dollars in revenue, and limitless possibilities, the world wide web might just be the greatest accomplishment of the digital age. Let’s take a look at some interesting statistics about the internet in today’s world, like the ones you’ll find at internet advisor.

One Billion Active Websites

There are around 1.2 billion active websites on the web today, covering every topic, profession, interest, government agency, and the product you can possibly think of. From blogs to eCommerce sites and online banking, the way we share information, exchange currency, and even shop has been changed forever thanks to the internet.

These websites make up the online community we know as the world wide web. Terabytes of information are exchanged on a yearly basis, and no matter where you go in the world, you’re likely to find an active internet connection. Far from a simple luxury, it’s safe to say that the internet, as it stands today, is nothing less than a staple of modern life. It’s a necessity, just as shelter and clothing are.

Try to imagine how different your life would be without internet access. This is easier for some, particularly those older folks who were alive before everything was connected to the digital world. For those of us born into an internet-rich world, going back to a world without endless connection sounds like a nightmare.

Four Billion Active Users

Over half of the world’s population are active internet users, totalling around 4.5 billion people. Of those 4.5 billion, nearly 3.7 billion use social media on a regular basis, and 4.2 billion are active mobile users. Most people access the internet via a mobile device, whether that’s a cellphone, tablet, or some other mobile platform.

This isn’t hard to believe if you just look around in a public place. Everyone seems to be attached to their phones, browsing social media, shopping, researching, or just watching funny videos on YouTube. It’s something of a social norm now to look at your phone while other people are around.

And how can you ignore it? Constant notifications, always something more interesting or more funny to see; it’s incredibly difficult to pull away from the web once you dive in. After all, when you’ve got over four billion people online, there’s a lot of information going around.

Adults Spend Time Online

There have been several studies on how much time people spend on the internet on a daily basis, but the average seems to be somewhere around six hours of daily usage. That’s one-quarter of our entire day spent browsing for memes, watching videos, or sharing social media posts.

So much time is being spent online that there’s some speculation that it may be negatively affecting us. Among these effects are increased fatigue, eye problems, anxiety, and even depression. Social media by itself has some interesting links to things like teen depression and anxiety, and it would seem that spending too much time online is killing the quality of our sleep.

Experts actually recommend that you turn off your devices at least an hour before bed to get your brain ready for sleep.

E Commerce Generates Billions In Revenue

While retail itself is a trillion-dollar industry, eCommerce accounts for somewhere along the lines of 600 billion dollars’ worth of that revenue. ECommerce has risen exponentially in popularity over the last 20 years. After all, why go to the store and browse for hours when you can do it in the comfort of your home and have the item delivered in just a few days?

On a global scale, the eCommerce numbers are even higher, reaching well into the trillions of dollars. The bottom line? People love shopping online. Maybe it’s the convenience, cheaper prices, greater availability of goods, or all three. What is clear is that people aren’t going to stop anytime in the near future.

Around Two Billion People Use Facebook

While figures may vary as to how many people use Facebook, Zephoria puts the user count at around 2.6 billion active users. That’s nearly a third of the world’s population, making Facebook the largest social media platform on the web; and the most powerful.

Not only does Facebook generate billions in revenue each year, it also offers an incredibly effective marketing platform for businesses of all kinds, and collects mountains of data regarding its users’ personal information. While the company claims it doesn’t outright sell personal data, there have been more than a few inquiries into Facebook’s practices.

Top 5 Most Visited Websites

Can you guess what the top five most visited sites on the web are? The answers might actually surprise you…

1. YouTube

 That’s right, everyone’s favourite video platform is the world’s most visited website, with over a billion users per month.

2. Wikipedia

 Sure, you can’t use it as a reliable source for your term paper, but Wikipedia still pulls in over one billion readers every month, with short informational articles on just about anything you can think of.

3. Twitter

 Twitter, another popular social media platform, comes in at right around half a billion users per month.

4. Facebook

 Despite the site’s massive user base, it’s actually quite low in the top five list of most visited websites, with just under 513 million monthly users.

5. Amazon

 The largest online retailer just makes our top five list with just under half a billion monthly visits.