Global internet usage continued to rise in 2025 as people spent more time online than ever before. According to Cloudflare, worldwide internet traffic grew by 19 percent this year, reflecting the growing dependence on digital platforms for work, communication, and entertainment.
The data comes from Cloudflare Radar’s 2025 Year in Review report, which analyzes online activity across a large portion of the global internet.
Table of Contents
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Cloudflare’s Internet Report Explained
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AI Bots Are Increasing Web Traffic
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Internet Usage Rose in the Second Half of 2025
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Google Remains the Most Used Internet Service
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Android Continues to Dominate Mobile Traffic
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Starlink’s Role in Expanding Internet Access
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ChatGPT Leads the AI Services Market
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FAQs
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Conclusion
Cloudflare’s Internet Report Explained
Cloudflare is one of the largest internet infrastructure companies in the world, providing security and performance services to millions of websites. Its role became especially noticeable in 2025 when a Cloudflare outage briefly disrupted major platforms such as Google, Spotify, Discord, Snapchat, and Nintendo.
Because Cloudflare manages traffic for a huge part of the internet, its data offers a reliable picture of global online behavior.
AI Bots Are Increasing Web Traffic
Artificial intelligence played a major role in shaping internet traffic this year. Cloudflare reported that AI bots now generate 4.2 percent of all HTML requests worldwide.
This increase is driven by AI companies using crawlers to collect online data for training large language models and other AI systems.
Internet Usage Rose in the Second Half of 2025
Internet traffic growth remained mostly flat from January to July 2025. However, Cloudflare observed a clear increase in activity during the second half of the year.
The company says this trend reflects a growing reliance on online services as work, education, and entertainment continue to shift further online.
Google Remains the Most Used Internet Service
Despite rising competition in AI, Google continues to dominate global internet usage. Cloudflare ranked Google as the most popular internet service worldwide in 2025.
It was followed by Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft. ChatGPT did not appear in the top ten internet services, even though it remains the most popular AI platform.
Google also leads as the top search engine, the most used browser through Chrome, and the highest traffic verified bot via Googlebot.
Android Continues to Dominate Mobile Traffic
According to Cloudflare, Android devices accounted for 65 percent of global internet traffic in 2025, while iOS made up the remaining share.
Usage varies by region. In some countries, iOS adoption is much higher, while in markets like Pakistan, Android dominates due to affordability and wider device availability.
Starlink’s Role in Expanding Internet Access
Satellite internet services continued to grow in 2025. Starlink recorded a 2.3 times increase in traffic compared to the previous year.
SpaceX also achieved a major milestone by launching its 10,000th satellite, helping extend internet access to remote and underserved areas.
ChatGPT Leads the AI Services Market
Among AI platforms, ChatGPT remained the most popular AI service globally in 2025.
Claude by Anthropic and Perplexity ranked ahead of Google Gemini, which placed fourth despite Google’s advancements in AI technology.
FAQs
How much did global internet traffic grow in 2025?
Global internet traffic increased by 19 percent, according to Cloudflare.
Which company dominates internet usage worldwide?
Google remains the most used internet service globally.
How much traffic do AI bots generate?
AI bots account for around 4.2 percent of all HTML requests.
Which mobile platform generates more traffic?
Android leads globally with 65 percent of internet traffic.
What is the most popular AI service in 2025?
ChatGPT remains the most widely used AI service.
Conclusion
Cloudflare’s 2025 report shows that global internet usage continues to grow rapidly. While Google remains the dominant force online, AI bots, satellite internet, and mobile platforms are reshaping how people access the web. These trends highlight the increasing importance of reliable and affordable internet access worldwide, including in markets like Pakistan.
