How many internet users are there in India?

The short answer

India had 958 million active internet users in 2025, according to the IAMAI-Kantar report released in January 2026, with rural India making up about 548 million. TRAI counts 1,114.17 million internet subscriptions at the end of June 2026, but that counts connections, not people.

TRAI counts subscriptions, and one person can hold several SIMs and a home connection. IAMAI-Kantar surveys people who used the internet. The people count is the one to use for market sizing.

The figures side by side

How we got this number

1. Take the people count from the IAMAI-Kantar survey: 958 million active internet users in 2025.
2. Take the connection count from TRAI's quarterly report: 1,114.17 million subscriptions at the end of June 2026, of which 1,066.43 million wireless.
3. Use the people count for anything that sizes an audience; use TRAI only to track growth in connections.
4. Show both, with the gap of about 156 million explained by people holding more than one connection.

What this number does not tell you

• IAMAI-Kantar is a survey, so it carries sampling error; the report gives no margin.
• "Active" in the survey means used the internet recently, not daily.
• TRAI's count includes dongles and machine connections.

Sources

1. IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India 2025, reported by Tele.net, 30 January 2026India now has 958 million active internet users (AIU), reflecting nearly 8 per cent year-on-year growth. Rural India accounts for 57 per cent of the country's active internet users, or around 548 million users.
2. TRAI performance indicators, quarter ended 30 June 2026, reported by IBEF, 13 October 2026India's internet subscriber base increased to 1,114.17 million at the end of June 2026. The total comprised 1,066.43 million wireless internet subscribers and 47.73 million wired internet subscribers.

Worked out by us: 156 million (1,114.17 million subscriptions minus 958 million users, rounded).

Questions people ask

How many people use the internet in India?

958 million active internet users in 2025, per IAMAI-Kantar.

Why does TRAI show more internet users than IAMAI?

TRAI counts subscriptions (1,114.17 million in June 2026); one person can hold several. IAMAI-Kantar counts people.

Read next

• Onboarding drop-offs in Bharat
• Mobile-first for Bharat
• Mobile-first onboarding guide
• All India numbers

This is a best guess, not an official statistic. We recheck it quarterly. If you have a newer or better source, send it to us.