The gap between the number of internet users in rural and urban India has grown, with rural areas adopting the internet at a faster pace, according a report by IAMAI and market research firm Kantar.
According to the “Internet in India 2024” report—published by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar—rural India surpassed urban India in internet user numbers in 2021 and has been steadily widening the gap ever since. Of the 886 million total internet users in India in 2024, over 55% (488 million) were from rural areas, compared to 53.8% in 2023.
Despite rural India’s dominance in user numbers, urban users continue to lead in daily internet usage. The average Indian internet user spends 90 minutes per day online, with urban users clocking 94 minutes compared to rural users’ 89 minutes.
The report projects India’s total internet user base to exceed 900 million in 2025. Among states, Kerala leads in internet penetration at 72%, followed by Goa (71%) and Maharashtra (70%). The states with the lowest penetration are Jharkhand (50%), Uttar Pradesh (46%) and Bihar (43%).
The demand for regional language content continues to grow, with 57% of urban users preferring to consume content in their native languages. This trend highlights the increasing importance of local language content across digital platforms.
While the number of internet users in India continues to rise, the pace of growth has slowed. The growth rate fell from 9.6% in 2022 to 8.16% in 2023, and further dropped to 7.91% in 2024.
