Here is why South Africa is the most internet-addicted country in the world

The vast demand for the internet in this present internet age, the wide spread of internet connectivity globally, and the rapid relocation of businesses and jobs online have made it possible for many to spend a significant portion of their day online.

According to the Digital 2023 April Global Report from Datareportal, there are now 5.48 billion unique mobile subscribers globally, equating to 68.3% of the world’s population, thanks to a 3% (152 million subscribers) increase over the past year.

The latest Global Digital Report indicated that there are now more than 5.18 billion individual Internet users, equating to 64.6% of the world’s population. An analysis by Kepios also revealed that 147 million persons started using the internet 12 months to April 2023. Active users’ user identities reached 4.80 billion in April 2023.

The time spent online varies significantly from country to country. According to Atlas VPN, the average time spent online daily by people worldwide in 2022 was 397 minutes (6 hours and 37 minutes) per day.

The world’s top five countries that spent the most time online are South Africa (9 hours and 38 minutes), Brazil (9 hours and 32 minutes), the Philippines (9 hours and 14 minutes), while Argentina and Colombia, tied at 9 hours and 1 minute.

Why South Africa?

The answer to the question above is not far-fetched. The latest Digital 2023 April Global Report from Datareportal, published in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social, provided a detailed insight; which showed 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.

Internet is accessible in almost every part of the country – for 68.6 percent of the population living in urban centers, and 31.4 percent in rural areas, with an internet penetration rate of 72.3 percent of the total population at the start of 2023.

69.5 percent of the population is between the ages of 13 and 64 – the age range likely most conversant with the internet.

Internet users in South Africa increased by 357 thousand (+0.8 percent) between 2022 and 2023, resulting in 43.48 million internet users in January 2023 (including 25.80 million social media users).