China vs India: Number of people using the Internet
China
1.04 billion users
in 2021
India
696.61 million users
in 2021
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd
Number of people using the Internet over time
- China
- India
How they compare
China currently reports 1.04 billion users against 696.61 million users in India, a difference of 345.45 million users.
That makes China's figure about 1.5 times India's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 30 shared years of data; in 1990 it was India ahead.
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 207 countries.
China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | India | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.46 million users | 709,370 users | 750,121 users | China |
| 2000s | 144.27 million users | 29.40 million users | 114.86 million users | China |
| 2010s | 691.61 million users | 205.20 million users | 486.41 million users | China |
| 2020s | 1.02 billion users | 652.71 million users | 367.83 million users | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people using the internet, China or India?
- China, at 1.04 billion users against 696.61 million users in India as of 2021.
- What is the difference in number of people using the internet between China and India?
- 345.45 million users, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
- 30 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2021.
- How do China and India rank globally for number of people using the internet?
- China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 207 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in, published as Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The number of individuals using the Internet.