The latest Digital 2025 Report by We Are Social and Meltwater paints a clear picture of a digital world in constant transformation: the mobile screen is now the primary gateway to content and services globally, while traditional television steadily loses its prominence.
With 5.65 billion internet users, representing 68.7% of the global population, internet access is nearly ubiquitous. Social media continues its upward trajectory, now counting 5.41 billion users—or 65.7% of the population—marking a 4.7% increase year-over-year. The mobile phone remains the central device in this landscape, with 70% of the world's population owning one, across all device generations.
Search engines still play a major role in online behavior, with 80.6% of internet users using them in July 2025. However, this is a notable drop from 84.1% in 2021, signaling a shift in user behavior. Users are increasingly bypassing search engines as their first step online, with platforms like ChatGPT now attracting over a billion weekly visits, reflecting a broader move toward conversational interfaces.
Despite this decline, search engines commanded the largest share of global digital ad spend in 2024—$316 billion, or 40% of the total. Google remains the dominant player, with 83 to 105 billion monthly visits, but it is sending fewer users to external sites. Its share of outbound traffic has fallen by 3.8 points since 2023, largely due to AI-powered answer boxes that provide immediate information without the need to click—ushering in the era of zero-click searches.
Meanwhile, connected TVs are spreading fast: over 50% of internet users aged 16+ now own a Smart TV, a figure up nearly 10% in two years. In the U.S., YouTube now surpasses traditional TV in audience share. However, only 32.1% of internet users globally use their Smart TV to access digital content monthly.
Streaming has officially overtaken traditional broadcasting, now representing 50.1% of global TV time. In some regions, this shift is even more pronounced—New Zealand devotes nearly two-thirds of TV time to streaming, while Japan lags behind at just 20%.
Video is now central to media consumption, with 92% of internet users watching streamed content in the past month. Online video platforms like YouTube and TikTok account for 11 hours and 39 minutes per week, outpacing all types of traditional and on-demand TV content, which averages 10 hours and 15 minutes.
Short-form video dominates the screen, with formats like Reels, Shorts, and TikToks pulling in 6 hours and 42 minutes per week—more than long-form content. When combined with time spent on social feeds, users now spend 13 hours and 48 minutes weekly on social and short videos—3.5 hours more than total TV time.
The generational divide is stark: young women aged 16 to 24 spend 19 hours and 46 minutes per week scrolling on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, compared to just 9 hours in front of any form of television.
Facebook remains the world’s most-used platform, with 56.6% of internet users engaging with it monthly. YouTube (55.3%), Instagram (54.5%), and WhatsApp (54%) follow closely. In countries like Morocco and Nigeria, WhatsApp adoption exceeds 98%. However, in terms of active usage, YouTube now surpasses WhatsApp by 14%, followed by Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
In advertising reach, YouTube leads with a potential audience of 2.54 billion, ahead of Facebook at 2.36 billion, and TikTok at 1.94 billion. Platform preferences vary by demographic: among young women, Instagram leads with 69.2% usage, while Facebook and TikTok follow at 50.3% and 47.3% respectively. Young men lean more toward Telegram and X (formerly Twitter), while older generations stay loyal to Facebook, with over 60% of users aged 65+ active monthly.
Online grocery shopping is also surging, reaching post-pandemic highs. Nearly 29% of users report making a food-related purchase online in the past week—indicating a significant shift in consumption habits. The trend is particularly strong in Asia, while Europe trails behind.
Internet speeds continue to rise globally. Fixed broadband now averages over 100 Mbps, with peaks above 300 Mbps in some countries. Mobile internet is catching up quickly, posting a 70% increase in speed year-over-year and surpassing fixed connections in over 100 countries.
The web browser landscape is also evolving. While Google Chrome remains dominant—capturing 67% of global web traffic—new challengers like OpenAI’s browser and Perplexity are emerging. Safari lags behind at 17%, with Edge, Firefox, and Samsung Internet sharing the rest.
In conclusion, the Digital 2025 Report confirms a decisive shift in user behavior: mobile and short-form video now dominate global screen time, traditional search engines are evolving under AI pressure, and shopping and media habits are transforming alongside ever-faster connections. The digital world shows no sign of slowing down.
