How Much Time Does the Average Person Spend on the Internet?
Whether it’s to stay in touch with loved ones, keep up with the latest news, or find entertainment, it’s clear that there are plenty of reasons people worldwide use the internet. Plus, with the amount of time spent on social media increasing year after year, it should come as no surprise that internet screen time has also been rising.
So then, how much time does the average person spend on the internet these days?
How much time do people spend online?
Recent research figures show that in the second quarter of 2023, the average time spent on the internet per person was 401 minutes (six hours and 41 minutes) per day. This was a one-minute increase from the previous quarter and the most amount of time spent online in over a year. It also marked an annual increase of four minutes from Q2 2022’s time spent on the internet.
The trend of time spent online shows this has generally been decreasing every quarter. In Q2 2021, consumers spent nearly seven hours (six hours and 58 minutes) online per day. This held steady the following quarter, before falling slightly by five minutes to six hours and 53 minutes in Q4 2021. From Q2 2021 to Q2 2023, the average time spent online peaked in the second and third quarters of 2021.
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On average, internet users worldwide spent 399.3 minutes every day online in 2022. In comparison, the average so far in 2023 is 400.5 minutes—just slightly higher.
Average time spent online by country
The amount of time spent online differs from country to country. For instance, the latest statistics on time spent online show that internet users in South Africa currently spend the most amount of time online. At 569 minutes each day, that’s nine hours and 29 minutes in total, and 168 minutes (just over three hours) more than the global average of six hours and 41 minutes.
This is followed by Brazil, where internet users are online for 565 minutes daily, and the Philippines, at 547 minutes. Latin American countries Colombia and Argentina wrap up the top five with 537 minutes and 528 minutes per day, respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum is Japan. People there go online for just 234 minutes every day—nearly three whole hours less than the average worldwide. This is followed by South Korea and Denmark at 314 minutes and 315 minutes, respectively.