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?
Daily time spent online: Q4 2021–Q4 2023
|
Quarter |
Daily time spent online |
|---|---|
|
Q4 2021 |
413 minutes (6 hours 53 minutes) |
|
Q1 2022 |
409 minutes (6 hours 49 minutes) |
|
Q2 2022 |
397 minutes (6 hours 37 minutes) |
|
Q3 2022 |
396 minutes (6 hours 36 minutes) |
|
Q4 2022 |
395 minutes (6 hours 35 minutes) |
|
Q1 2023 |
400 minutes (6 hours 40 minutes) |
|
Q2 2023 |
401 minutes (6 hours 41 minutes) |
|
Q3 2023 |
400 minutes (6 hours 40 minutes) |
|
Q4 2023 |
395 minutes (6 hours 35 minutes) |
How much time do people spend online?
Recent research figures show that in the fourth quarter of 2023, the average time spent on the internet per person was 395 minutes (six hours and 35 minutes) per day. This was a five-minute decrease from the previous quarter and the quarter during which internet users spent the least amount of time spent online in 2023. It also marked an annual decrease of 18 minutes from Q4 2021’s time spent on the internet.
The trend of time spent online shows this has generally been decreasing every quarter. In Q4 2021, consumers spent nearly seven hours (six hours and 53 minutes) online per day. This fell slightly by four minutes to six hours and 49 minutes in Q1 2022, before falling further to reach six hours and 35 minutes by Q4 2022.
On average, internet users worldwide spent 399.25 minutes every day online in 2022. In comparison, the average in 2023 was 399 minutes—marginally lower than the previous year.
Average time spent online by country
|
Country |
Daily time spent online (Q4 2023) |
|---|---|
|
1. South Africa |
572 minutes (9 hours 32 minutes) |
|
2. Brazil |
554 minutes (9 hours 14 minutes) |
|
3. Philippines |
535 minutes (8 hours 55 minutes) |
|
4. Argentina |
524 minutes (8 hours 44 minutes) |
|
5. Colombia |
517 minutes (8 hours 37 minutes) |
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 572 minutes each day, that’s nine hours and 32 minutes in total, and 177 minutes (just under three hours) more than the global average of six hours and 35 minutes.
This is followed by Brazil, where internet users are online for 554 minutes (nine hours and 14 minutes) daily, and the Philippines, at 535 minutes. Latin American countries Argentina and Colombia wrap up the top five with 524 minutes and 517 minutes per day, respectively.
On the other end of the spectrum is Japan. People there go online for just 244 minutes every day—nearly 2.5 hours less than the average worldwide. This is followed by Denmark and South Korea at 304 minutes and 315 minutes, respectively.