Table of Contents
The online population in Italy was 50.1 million in 2023, comprising 85.1% of the total population. This online penetration rate is forecast to grow to 92.0% by 2028, reaching 53.4 million internet users. While Italy's total population is projected to decline by 0.3% from 2023 to 2028, the online population is expected to increase by 1.3% over the same period.
Internet accessibility has improved significantly, with the median fixed internet connection speed rising from 60.24 Mbps in 2023 to 71.40 Mbps in early 2024 - an 18.5% increase in just one year. Mobile internet speeds have also increased, with the median cellular connection speed reaching 46.03 Mbps in early 2024, up 17.3% from 2023 levels.
In terms of internet usage, the average Italian spent 5 hours and 49 minutes per day online in 2024, with mobile devices accounting for 50.8% of this total daily internet time.
The most common online activities include using social media (83.0% of internet users in 2024), watching online videos (72.8% for YouTube), and online shopping. Social commerce is also gaining traction, with 27.0 million Italians using Instagram for product discovery and purchases in early 2024, representing 52.4% of the online population.
In summary, Italy's online population is growing steadily, with improved connectivity, and evolving digital behaviours reshaping how Italians use the internet, driven by high social media and mobile usage rates.
Definitions
Online population. Total number of individuals or users who have access to the internet and regularly use it for various purposes, such as communication, information gathering, entertainment, shopping, and more (at least once in a month)
Additional Notes
Release Date: April 2024
Region: Italy
Time Period: 2009 to 2028
Author: Datum Research Team
Source: Datum Global Online Population Forecast 2023-28
Methodology
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