TECH
Where internet use exploded since 2012
Iraq went from 7% of people online to 82% in twelve years. The biggest jumps in internet use happened far from Silicon Valley.
The short answer
Between 2012 and 2024, the share of people using the internet rose by 74 percentage points in Iraq (from 7.1% to 81.5%), 72 points in Kyrgyzstan and 69 points in Mongolia, according to World Bank data. Globally, 73.6% of people were online in 2025.
The full top 10
| Rank | Country / economy | Change (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq | +74.4 |
| 2 | Kyrgyzstan | +72.2 |
| 3 | Mongolia | +68.7 |
| 4 | Libya | +66.8 |
| 5 | Uzbekistan | +65.9 |
| 6 | Thailand | +64.4 |
| 7 | Cambodia | +63.5 |
| 8 | Iran | +62.6 |
| 9 | Ghana | +61.6 |
| 10 | Algeria | +59.2 |
A different kind of digital boom
The fastest growth came in Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Southeast Asia and West Africa. Cambodia rose from 4.9% to 68.5% and Ghana from 10.6% to 72.2%. In most of these places the jump came from affordable smartphones and mobile data rather than home broadband.
Who is still offline
Growth has been uneven. In South Sudan (6.7%), Burundi (8.6%) and Uganda (8.9%) fewer than one in ten people use the internet, so the next wave of new users is likely to come from these countries.
How we made this
Data: World Bank, World Development Indicators (indicator IT.NET.USER.ZS). Change measured between the earliest value in 2012–2014 and the latest in 2023–2024, for economies with at least one million people. 'Internet users' are people who used the internet in the last three months.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries have almost everyone online?
Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates report close to 100% of people using the internet.
What share of the world is online?
About 73.6% of people worldwide used the internet in 2025.