Exploring the Global Divide: An Analysis of Internet Usage and Gender Disparities

The internet has become a fundamental component of modern society, with 5.44 billion users worldwide as of April 2024, accounting for 67.1 percent of the global population. Out of this total, 5.07 billion people were active social media users, which represents 62.6 percent of the world’s population.

In terms of regional breakdown, Northern Europe led the way in internet usage, with countries like Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates boasting a 99 percent internet penetration rate. On the other hand, North Korea had exceedingly low internet usage among its population, ranking at the bottom worldwide. Asia had the largest number of online users, exceeding 2.93 billion, followed by Europe with approximately 750 million users. Countries like China, India, and the United States led the pack in terms of the sheer number of internet users.

However, despite these impressive numbers, there are still significant disparities in internet usage based on gender and income levels. In 2022, the global gender disparity in internet usage stood at 63 percent for women, six percent lower than men. The divide was more substantial in regions like the Arab States and Africa, where there was a ten percent difference between male and female internet users. However, regions such as the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe demonstrated a smaller gender gap. Young people aged 15-24 had the highest internet usage rates across all regions