According to the latest estimates from the ITU, Statista's Felix Richter details below that 4.9 billion people now use the internet, up from 4.1 billion people in 2019.

This unusually sharp increase in internet users is attributed at least partly to what the ITU calls a "COVID connectivity boost".

"Widespread lockdowns and school closures, combined with people's need for access to news, government services, health updates, e-commerce and online banking" have driven the surge in internet usage according to the organization.

"While almost two-thirds of the world's population is now online, there is a lot more to do to get everyone connected to the Internet," ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao said in a statement.