China vs United States: Number of people using the Internet
China
1.29 billion people
in 2025
United States
321.96 million people
in 2024
China rank
1st
United States rank
3rd
Number of people using the Internet over time
- China
- United States
How they compare
China currently reports 1.29 billion people against 321.96 million people in United States, a difference of 966.47 million people.
That makes China's figure about 4.0 times United States's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 33 shared years of data; in 1990 it was United States ahead.
China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 208 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and United States in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.45 million people | 41.41 million people | 39.96 million people | United States |
| 2000s | 143.34 million people | 187.44 million people | 44.10 million people | United States |
| 2010s | 683.77 million people | 252.18 million people | 431.60 million people | China |
| 2020s | 1.13 billion people | 309.86 million people | 822.62 million people | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people using the internet, China or United States?
- China, at 1.29 billion people against 321.96 million people in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people using the internet between China and United States?
- 966.47 million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and United States?
- 33 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do China and United States rank globally for number of people using the internet?
- China ranks 1st and United States ranks 3rd of 208 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, vi, 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
Number of people who used the Internet in the last three months.