Share of the population using the Internet in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population using the Internet was 78.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population using the Internet in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population using the internet in South Africa stood at 78.4%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 59.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population using the internet in South Africa peaked at 78.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
That places South Africa 112th out of 208 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population using the Internet in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.0% | — |
| 1992 | 0.0% | +192.5% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | +193.1% |
| 1994 | 0.2% | +116.7% |
| 1995 | 0.7% | +174.1% |
| 1996 | 0.8% | +24.4% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | +93.6% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +78.5% |
| 1999 | 4.1% | +41.6% |
| 2000 | 5.3% | +29.8% |
| 2001 | 6.3% | +18.7% |
| 2002 | 6.7% | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 7.0% | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 8.4% | +20.2% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -11.1% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 8.4% | +4.5% |
| 2009 | 10.0% | +18.6% |
| 2010 | 24.0% | +140.0% |
| 2011 | 34.0% | +41.5% |
| 2012 | 41.0% | +20.7% |
| 2013 | 46.5% | +13.4% |
| 2014 | 49.0% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 51.9% | +6.0% |
| 2016 | 54.0% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 56.2% | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 62.4% | +11.1% |
| 2019 | 69.7% | +11.7% |
| 2020 | 72.1% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 75.0% | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 78.3% | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 78.3% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 78.4% | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 78.4% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 81.5%, 96% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 78.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 34.5%, 2.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population using the Internet in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +192.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1993 | +193.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1995 | +174.1% | 0.2% | 0.7% |
| 2010 | +140.0% | 10.0% | 24.0% |
| 1994 | +116.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| 1997 | +93.6% | 0.8% | 1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.0% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.5% | 5.3% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.9% | 24.0% | 69.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.4% | 72.1% | 78.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More science & technology data for South Africa
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 179.34 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.79 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 89.37 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 8,549 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 8,549 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population using the internet in South Africa?
- Share of the population using the internet in South Africa was 78.4% in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population using the internet recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 78.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population using the internet recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population using the internet?
- South Africa ranks 112th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population using the internet rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population who used the Internet in the last three months.