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?
How much time do people spend online?
Recent research shows that in the third quarter of 2022, the average time spent on the internet per person was 397 minutes (six hours and 37 minutes) per day. This is the same as the previous quarter, and 12 minutes less than the amount of time spent in Q1 2022.
It also marks a 20-minute annual decrease from Q3 2021’s time spent on the internet. In the nine quarters from Q3 2020 to Q3 2022, the average time spent online peaked in Q2 2021 and Q3 2021, at 417 minutes (six hours and 57 minutes) per day.
On average, internet users worldwide spent 415.5 minutes every day online in 2021. In comparison, the current 2022 average is 401 minutes—14.5 minutes less.
Average time spent online by country
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 spent the most amount of time online. At 578 minutes each day, that’s nine hours and 38 minutes in total, and 181 minutes (or around three hours) more than the global average.
This is followed by Brazil, where internet users are online for 572 minutes daily, and the Philippines, at 574 minutes. Latin American countries Colombia and Argentina wrap up the top five with 561 minutes per day, each.
On the other end of the spectrum is Japan. People there go online for just 225 minutes every day—nearly three whole hours less than the average worldwide. This is followed by Denmark and Germany at 298 minutes and 312 minutes, respectively. Despite having one of the fastest internet speeds in the world, internet users in Denmark spend a relatively low amount of time online.