Digital inclusion · Data story
Internet use rose. Did the access gap close?
By ChartGlow · · 6 min read
The share of people using the internet rose in every country in this small comparison. Yet the distance between the highest and lowest shares grew from 5.0 percentage points in 2000 to 50.5 points in 2023. Within this selection, the absolute usage gap widened at the endpoints even as adoption rose. That does not measure every barrier to internet access.
Internet use is not a mobile subscription
Internet use (IT.NET.USER.ZS) is the percentage of people who used the internet in the last three months, on any device. Mobile cellular subscriptions (IT.CEL.SETS.P2) counts voice-service subscriptions per 100 people, not unique individuals. Multiple subscriptions can push that ratio above 100 without showing how many people use the internet.
Neither measure establishes network coverage or connection quality. The two articles use different country selections and time samples; compare only matching countries and observed years, keeping the units distinct.
Read why mobile subscriptions can exceed 100 →Use grew, but did countries converge?
Gap between sample endpoints
5.0 → 50.5
Percentage points separate the highest and lowest country values in the selection: Mexico and Nigeria in 2000, then China and Nigeria in 2023.
What changed?
All six reported shares rose. China’s endpoint reached 90.6%; Nigeria’s was 40.1%. That leaves a substantial difference in this sample even as both increased.
Six snapshots, two very different gaps
The table shows the complete selected dataset: six countries across six observed years. Values are percent of population, rounded to one decimal. An increase from 5% to 10% is five percentage points, even though it is a 100% relative increase.
| Country | 2000 | 2005 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 2.9 | 21.0 | 40.6 | 58.3 | 81.3 | 84.2 |
| China | 1.8 | 8.5 | 34.3 | 50.3 | 70.1 | 90.6 |
| Indonesia | 0.9 | 3.6 | 10.9 | 22.1 | 53.7 | 69.2 |
| India | 0.5 | 2.4 | 7.5 | 14.9 | 43.4 | 60.3 |
| Mexico | 5.1 | 17.2 | 31.1 | 57.4 | 71.5 | 81.2 |
| Nigeria | 0.1 | 3.5 | 11.5 | 22.5 | 31.9 | 40.1 |
Across endpoints, the observed share rose by 88.8 percentage points in China (1.8 to 90.6) and 40.0 points in Nigeria (0.1 to 40.1). Because Nigeria started near zero, its percentage increase relative to its starting value would be enormous and not very informative on its own. Percentage points make the absolute share easier to compare.
Download the chart data36 observations · 6 countries × 6 observed years · same selection as the chart.
Import these exact values or adapt your comparison →Growth is not the same as convergence
Observed: every country’s reported share is higher in 2023 than in 2000. The range within these six widened at the endpoints: the minimum-to-maximum spread was 5.0 points in 2000 and 50.5 points in 2023. The countries that define that spread also changed: Mexico was highest initially, while China was highest in 2023; Nigeria was the low endpoint in both years.
Interpretation: these data show broader internet use alongside a larger absolute gap between the top and bottom of this particular selection. They do not show that every pair of countries diverged, that relative inequality followed the same pattern, or that one country’s progress caused another’s. Six snapshots are too sparse to describe every turn along the way.
A different pair and time window can give a different answer. Brazil’s lead over Nigeria narrowed from 49.4 percentage points in 2020 to 44.1 in 2023. Over the same interval, China’s lead over Nigeria widened from 38.2 to 50.5 points. The range of the whole selection and a gap between a particular pair are different comparisons; neither alone describes every aspect of digital inclusion.
Finally, internet use is a broad adoption measure, not a complete measure of access. It cannot tell us whether people have affordable service, reliable coverage, high speeds, a connection at home, or equal options in rural and urban areas. A person can count as a recent user while still facing poor quality or high costs. Other indicators are needed to assess those barriers.
Method, sources, and reuse
This comparison uses indicator IT.NET.USER.ZS, individuals using the Internet (% of population), from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) via the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. The World Bank glossary defines users as people who used the internet (from any location) in the last three months, by any device, over a network that permits access to the internet. Reporting quality and survey practices can vary across countries, limiting comparability. See the indicator glossary and series page.
The selection is Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Nigeria, at 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2023. That makes 36 country-year observations. Values are rounded to one decimal place. It is a bounded sample chosen for this chart, not a global ranking; 2023 is the latest year shown in the chart’s historical dataset, not a live 2026 estimate.
The source snapshot used for this chart reports an update date of 13 July 2026. Historical values may be revised; consult the source for its latest release. The chart animates between the six observations; in-between positions are visual transitions, not measured annual, monthly, or daily values.
The World Bank series carries a CC BY 4.0 license; the World Bank’s terms of use explain attribution and reuse. The chart’s country flags use Flagcdn assets; Flagpedia describes its flags as public domain. The data source and flag provider do not endorse this article.
- This six-country sample cannot establish a global trend or current country ranking.
- Rising use does not explain why adoption changed and does not prove causality.
- The indicator does not measure affordability, coverage, speed, reliability, or rural access.
- Only six years are observed; the animated transitions are not extra observations.
Use the exact data or make your own comparison
How did internet use change, and did the gap between countries narrow? Start with the published sample, or ask for an illustrative annual comparison with your own countries and years.
Reproduce the 36 published observations
The exact CSV contains six countries at six selected dates: 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020 and 2023. It is the published sample, not an annual series.
- Download exact CSV, then open New chart and choose Upload a file. Sign in if needed; reopen New chart if necessary. Select the file yourself and review its 36 rows before importing.
- In Fields, set Entity Column to name, Time Column or Order Source to year, and Value / Metric Column to value. Set the time Order to Ascending. Values are already percentages, such as 84.2 for 84.2%; do not multiply them by 100.
- Choose Chart → Chart Type → Bar for the published rank comparison, or Line for trajectories. Use native Auto Flags for the countries, then open Preview and compare with the table above. Importing data does not copy the video’s styling.
In an existing chart, use Data / Edit data → Add data → CSV / Excel File. Review before choosing Replace data: it replaces the whole table. Cancel keeps your data.
Follow the native CSV import guide →Compare your own countries and years
Review the annual request below for Mexico, China and Indonesia, 2000–2023. After voluntarily using it, edit Entities to compare and Period to cover for your question; keep IT.NET.USER.ZS in % of population from ITU via World Bank WDI, or revise the metric, indicator, unit and source together.
This illustrative request asks for annual source values. It does not reproduce or guarantee the 36 selected observations above, complete coverage, or a statistically valid comparison. Nothing is sent to AI automatically; generated data need review.
Review the internet use request →An internet use request for three trajectories
- Metric to track
- Individuals using the Internet (% of population), from ITU via World Bank indicator IT.NET.USER.ZS. Use annual source observations and keep source references. Flag missing observations; do not invent or fill them.
- Entities to compare (optional)
- Mexico, China, Indonesia
- Period to cover
- 2000–2023
Choose Review this request. After signing in in the same tab, choose Use this illustrative request in Generate Dataset. The three fields stay editable; nothing is sent automatically, and an existing draft is kept.
The native label is Internet use · Line idea. The request sets the metric, countries, and period, not the chart type. After reviewing and voluntarily applying data, choose Chart → Chart Type → Line yourself for trajectories, or Bar to compare values and ranks at each date.
Review this requestThis illustrative request asks for annual source values. It is separate from this article’s 36 observations at six selected years; it does not reproduce or guarantee them. To use the exact published values, download the chart CSV.
Before generating or reusing data
Keep IT.NET.USER.ZS in % of population, not subscriptions, connection quality or a count of users. Review source references, countries, dates, units, missing values, and reuse rights before applying data. Coverage is not guaranteed; flag missing observations without inventing or filling them. See the method and sources above.
Generate Dataset may use AI credits and does not guarantee accurate or complete data. Generation and application remain voluntary. In an existing project, copy the three fields into Data / Edit data → AI Assistant → Generate Dataset; this link does not prefill an existing chart.