Country with the highest offline. It will surprise you

Reading this article means you already have access to the internet.

We use the internet every day, which is why I decided to research this aspect of it and share my findings with you. So, don't be surprised!

A Brief History of the Internet

Computer scientists Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn are widely credited as the fathers of the internet because they developed the TCP/IP protocol suite. Since its inception, TCP/IP has evolved and became the foundation of ARPANET, the network that paved the way for the modern internet.

Generally, the internet was developed to facilitate communication, collaboration, and military research. Today, it continues to serve these purposes while supporting countless other applications across the globe.

Following the introduction of technologies such as email, the World Wide Web (WWW), and Wi-Fi, as well as the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, the internet has continued to expand. IPv6 was introduced to accommodate the growing number of internet-connected devices. Since then, scientists and engineers have continued to improve internet infrastructure, making communication faster and more accessible.

The World's Offline Population

Despite these technological advancements, an estimated 37% of the world's population remains offline. This means that approximately 2.9 billion people have never used the internet.

That raises an interesting question:

Which country has the largest offline population in the world?

According to Statista, the countries with the largest offline populations are concentrated in Asia and Africa, with India ranking first, followed by China.

Note: This ranking is based on the number of people who are offline, not the percentage of a country's population that lacks internet access.

For example, China has a relatively low offline rate of about 24%, while Uganda has an offline rate of approximately 73%. However, China still has far more people without internet access because its total population is much larger.

To put this into perspective:

• 24% of China's population is approximately 336 million people.
• 73% of Uganda's population is approximately 36 million people.

That's a huge difference.

This is why China can have low offline rate and still second-largest offline population in the world.

Similarly, India makes Asia the continent with the highest offline population, while Nigeria contributes significantly to Africa's position as the second continent with the highest offline population.

Countries With the Largest Offline Populations

Country	Offline Population	Offline Percentage
🇮🇳 India	684M	48%
🇨🇳 China	336M	24%
🇵🇰 Pakistan	133M	54%
🇳🇬 Nigeria	123M	55%
🇪🇹 Ethiopia	103M	81%
🇧🇩 Bangladesh	96M	55%
🇮🇩 Indonesia	93M	33%
🇨🇩 DR Congo	76M	71%
🇹🇿 Tanzania	47M	68%
🇺🇬 Uganda	36M	73%

Final Thoughts

Although internet connectivity has improved significantly over the past few decades, billions of people around the world are still excluded from the digital economy. Expanding internet access remains one of the greatest opportunities for improving education, healthcare, communication, and economic development worldwide.