GSMA report: 4.8 billion people used mobile internet in 2025

According to the GSMA report ‘The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026’, 4.8 billion people—representing 59% of the global population—used mobile internet via their own devices in 2025. Mobile internet now accounts for 84% of all broadband connections worldwide and serves as the primary access method in many low- and middle-income countries.

Despite this growth, a significant digital divide remains, with approximately 3.4 billion people still lacking mobile internet access. The rate of new user growth slowed in 2025, with 160 million new users added compared to 190 million in 2024. Notably, 90% of this growth originated in low- and middle-income nations, where the majority of unconnected individuals also reside.

The report identifies two types of digital gaps: the coverage gap and the usage gap. Approximately 270 million people, or 3% of the global population, live in areas without mobile broadband coverage, primarily in impoverished, rural, or sparsely populated regions. Additionally, 650 million people rely exclusively on borrowed or shared devices to access the mobile internet.