--- title: "One in four people on Earth is still offline: ITU identifies regions and groups with the largest digital divide" description: "According to the ITU Facts and Figures 2026 report, 6.3 billion people, or 76% of the global population, are using the internet. About two billion remain offline, with the divide being most severe in rural areas and among women." date: 2026-11-05T15:36:44.975Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/global-internet-access-2026 tags: [internet-access, digital-divide, itu, global-statistics, gender-gap, rural-urban] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # One in four people on Earth is still offline: ITU identifies regions and groups with the largest digital divide ![A laptop screen showing infographics about global internet access, user statistics, and the digital divide.](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/05/globalnyy-dostup-k-internetu-2026/globalnyy-dostup-k-internetu-2026-1.webp) ## Key Points - In 2026, 6.3 billion people (76% of the population) use the internet; about 2 billion remain offline - Gender gap: 79% of men vs. 74% of women; 86% of youth aged 15–24 are connected - Urban access 82%, rural 63%; phone ownership: 95% in wealthy countries vs. 57% in poor ones - ITU: Closing the divide requires digital skills, not just infrastructure Despite the rapid spread of digital services and artificial intelligence, a significant portion of humanity remains outside the global network. The latest report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), "Facts and Figures 2026," cited by RBC-Ukraine, notes that 6.3 billion people use the internet in 2026, representing 76% of the global population. However, about two billion people, or 24% of the world's population, still lack access to the network. Compared to last year's data, this figure has decreased slightly: a year earlier, 2.2 billion people were without connection, yet the pace of closing the gap remains slow. ### The Global Picture: 76% Online and Two Billion Offline Analysts emphasize that while connectivity trends are positive, they are insufficient to claim full coverage. While in 2025 the number of unconnected people was about 2.2 billion, it dropped to approximately two billion in 2026. This means only about 200 million users joined the network over the year, while the vast majority of those offline are concentrated in the world's poorest regions, where infrastructure, device costs, and digital literacy levels form a complex barrier. ### Gender and Age Gaps: Who Remains Offline The report reveals persistent disparities in who has internet access. By gender, the gap is five percentage points: 79% of men use the network compared to 74% of women. The age gap is even more pronounced — young people aged 15 to 24 are connected to the global "web" at 86%, while this figure is 74% for the rest of the population. Thus, women and older age groups consistently lag behind the average connectivity level, which limits their access to education, labor markets, and digital government services. ### Urban vs. Rural: The Geography of Inequality The deepest divide is recorded by place of residence. In cities, 82% of residents have internet access, whereas in rural areas this figure drops to 63%. The 19-percentage-point gap means that almost every third rural resident remains offline, whereas only every fifth person in cities is unconnected. Geography, according to experts, is one of the key drivers of global digital inequality. ### Mobile Devices and Economic Inequality Beyond network access, ITU analysts examined mobile device ownership among people over 10 years old. Globally, 84% of the population owns a phone; however, there is a massive gap between economic categories of countries: in high-income states, this figure reaches 95%, while in low-income countries it is only 57%. This confirms that network access is determined not only by the availability of towers and cables but also by the ability of households to acquire devices. ### Infrastructure Is Not Enough: A Push for Digital Skills ITU experts emphasize that expanding technical infrastructure alone is not enough to bridge the current gap. According to union representatives, the priority must be the development of digital skills among the population, as without them, the benefits of modern technologies and artificial intelligence will remain inaccessible to a significant portion of the global community. In other words, even with a network and a device, a person without basic digital literacy cannot fully utilize the opportunities of the "digital age," making education the central condition for reducing inequality. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Каждый четвертый житель Земли до сих пор не пользуется интернетом: где разрыв наибольший](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/kozhen-chetvertiy-zhitel-zemli-dosi-koristuetsya-1793887825.html) - Primary source: all key figures (6.3 billion/76%, 2 billion offline, gender 79/74, age 86/74, urban/rural 82/63, phone ownership 84/95/57) are taken from the ITU Facts and Figures 2026 report. - [60% жителей Краснодарского края используют нейросети в работе, каждый четвертый — еженедельно](https://www.yuga.ru/news/484324-60-zhitelej-kubani-ispolzuyut-nejroseti-v-rabote-a-molodezh-aktivnee-vsekh/) - Regional study by hh.ru on AI usage in Krasnodar Krai; does not relate to global internet access statistics, contains no contradictions with the core text, and is not included. ## FAQ ### How many people in the world use the internet in 2026? According to the ITU Facts and Figures 2026 report, 6.3 billion people use the internet, which is 76% of the world's population. About two billion people (24%) remain offline. ### Where is the digital divide most pronounced? The maximum divide is found in place of residence: 82% of urban dwellers have access, compared to only 63% in rural areas. There are also notable gender gaps (79% men vs. 74% women) and income-based gaps (phone ownership: 95% in rich countries vs. 57% in poor ones). ### What does the ITU believe is needed to reduce digital inequality? ITU experts note that it is not enough to simply expand technical infrastructure: the priority should be the development of digital skills, otherwise the benefits of modern technologies and AI will remain inaccessible to a significant portion of the population.