Bar charts comparing global internet users in July 1997 versus December 2018.

Two horizontal bar charts comparing total internet users by country in 1997 and 2018. The top chart shows the USA dominating in 1997 with 51 million users. The bottom chart shows China leading in 2018 with 801 million users, followed by India and the USA, with global users surpassing 4 billion.

1997-07 Total Internet Users with percentage of users 1. USA 51,827,142 (19.14%) 2. Japan 8,726,878 (6.88%) ... WORLD 100,268,757 The first workable prototype of the Internet came in the 1960s with the creation of ARPANET. 2018-12 Total Internet Users with percentage of users China 801,919,657 (56.83%) India 503,457,010 (36.79%) USA 292,131,734 (88.86%) ... By 2018, over half of the global population gained access to the internet. WORLD 4,143,081,811 WawamuStats