About this chart race
In 1995 the United States had about 25 million people online — more than ten times any other country. China passed the United States in 2008 and has led every year since. India took second place in 2019. By 2024 China has 1,296M people online and India 942M, against 322M in the United States, so the two largest internet populations are now both in Asia.
This animated ranking shows how people online changed across 29 series between 1990 and 2024. The bars re-order themselves as the years advance, so overtakes are visible as they happen rather than hidden inside a table. Use the list on the left to choose exactly who competes, drag the slider to jump to any year, or open the table view to read the underlying numbers.
As of 2024, China leads with 1,296.3 million people.
Included in this race
China, India, United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Philippines, Egypt, Vietnam, Iran, Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, South Korea, South Africa, Spain, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, Finland.
Source
Data from World Bank. Check the stated period and methodology. Animated transitions between source observations are visual interpolation, not additional measurements.
You can browse every chart race, embed this one on your own site, or download it as a video to share.