The tremendous demand for the internet in this day and age, the global development of internet connectivity, and the increasing movement of businesses and employment online have enabled many people to spend a considerable amount of their day online.
According to Datareportal’s Digital 2023 April Global Report, there are now 5.48 billion unique mobile subscribers worldwide, accounting for 68.3% of the world’s population, thanks to a 3% (152 million subscribers) rise over the previous year.
According to the most recent Global Digital Report, there are now over 5.18 billion individual Internet users, accounting for 64.6% of the world’s population. According to a Kepios analysis, 147 million people began accessing the internet in the 12 months leading up to April 2023. In April 2023, the number of active users’ user identities hit 4.80 billion.
The amount of time spent online varies greatly by country. According to Atlas VPN, the average time spent online by people globally per day in 2022 will be 397 minutes (6 hours and 37 minutes).
South Africa (9 hours and 38 minutes), Brazil (9 hours and 32 minutes), the Philippines (9 hours and 14 minutes), and Argentina and Colombia tied at 9 hours and 1 minute spent the most time online.
Why South Africa?
The answer to the preceding question is not far-fetched. The latest Datareportal Digital 2023 April Global Report, published in collaboration with Meltwater and We Are Social, provided a detailed insight, revealing that South Africa’s total population was 60.14 million in January 2023, an increase of 494 thousand (+0.8 percent) between 2022 and 2023.
The internet is available in practically every section of the country, with 68.6 percent of the population living in urban areas and 31.4 percent living in rural areas, for a total population internet penetration rate of 72.3 percent at the start of 2023.
69.5 percent of the population is between the ages of 13 and 64, which is presumably the age bracket most familiar with the internet.
Between 2022 and 2023, the number of internet users in South Africa increased by 357 thousand (+0.8 percent), resulting in 43.48 million internet users (including 25.80 million social media users) in January 2023.
