Fact Check: Global Internet Penetration Rate in 2023

Claim: As of 2023, 66% of the global population has access to the internet.

Fact Check:

This statistic is accurate. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN’s specialized agency for information and communication technologies, approximately 66% of the global population had access to the internet by the end of 2023. The ITU reported that over 5.3 billion people worldwide were internet users, marking a significant increase over the past decade, with particularly strong growth in developing regions.

However, internet penetration rates vary significantly by region. For example, North America and Europe have near-universal access, while rural and remote areas in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia still face challenges in terms of internet access.

Sources:

• International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Report: 2023 World Telecommunication Information Society Report
• World Bank: World Bank Data – Internet Access

This response provides a clear and factual verification of the statistic, highlighting the accuracy and offering sources to back up the information. The inverted pyramid structure ensures that the most critical information is presented first, followed by supporting details.