NEW DELHI: Nearly 95 per cent of all Internet users are now on various social media platforms, 4 per cent more than last year, a report showed on Wednesday.

As of October, there were 5.3 billion Internet users worldwide, or 65.7 per cent of the global population. It means that Internet users have grown by 189 million, or 3.7 per cent year-over-year, according to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io.

Of this, 4.95 billion, or 61.4 per cent of the world's population, were social media users.

Interestingly, statistics show social media users have grown faster than the global internet population. Since last year, the number of social media users has increased by 4.5 per cent, with around 215 million people joining the social media space.

Since 2019, an average of 350 million people have joined social media platforms each year, pushing the total user count to all-time highs.

While the number of users grows, the time spent using social media has actually dropped.

According to a Data Reportal survey, as of October, internet users spent an average of two hours and 24 minutes each day on social media, or four minutes less than last year.

At the same time, the average daily time spent using the internet has increased by four minutes and now stands at six hours and 41 minutes.

While social media platforms have more than 4.9 billion users today, this number is expected to grow by a further 25 per cent in the following years.

According to a Statista survey, more than 1.1 billion people will join social media in the next five years, pushing the total user count to a whopping six billion.

The user penetration rate will also significantly increase, rising from 63.7 per cent in 2023 to over 75 per cent in 2028.