How many Russians use the internet: statistics by year and region

2026-08-19 · Информационное общество

In 2025, there were 96 internet users per 100 people in Russia. 91.9% of households had internet access, and 91.4% had broadband access. In 2010, 48.4% of households had internet access, which was less than half. Data from Rosstat, a sample survey of the population’s use of information technologies.

Penetration has almost reached its ceiling, and the focus in these series has shifted from the question of "how many people are online" to "what they are doing there." Below are the full series from 2010, broken down by region, and interactive charts.

Internet in Russia by year: table

The curve of connections grew fastest in 2010–2013, when the share of households increased by six to seven percentage points per year. Growth then almost stalled: from 2013 to 2019, only eight percentage points were added. The second acceleration occurred in 2020–2021 and was not due to network expansion but rather to remote work and study forcing those who had previously managed without to get connected. The full series by region is available in the dataset on the website.

Difference between indicators

Three indicators measure different things, and they should not be confused.

Users per 100 people count people who accessed the internet in the last three months from any device. Here, Russia reached 96 by 2025.

Households with access count apartments and houses where internet is available as a service. This indicator is lower because a person may use mobile internet while living in a dwelling without a fixed connection.

Broadband access is a subset of the previous one: a connection with decent speed. In 2013, the gap between "simple access" and "broadband" was 12.6 percentage points, and in 2025 it was just 0.5. Slow internet as a separate category has virtually disappeared.

Regions: where internet access is higher and lower

Households with internet access, 2025, percent.

Leaders:

Laggards:

The list of leaders may seem strange until one recalls how northern regions are structured. Chukotka, Magadan, Yamal and Yakutia are almost entirely urban: the population lives in a few compact settlements where laying a network is easier than in a thousand villages in central Russia. For the same reason, the laggards are not poor regions, but regions with rural populations scattered across a large territory.

Online shopping: the biggest shift of recent years

While connections were hitting a ceiling, online purchases kept growing nonstop. The share of the population buying goods and services online rose from 15.3% in 2013 to 75.6% in 2025, a fivefold increase.

Moreover, this indicator still shows a regional spread that has already faded for connections. In Moscow, 92.9% of residents shop online, while in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania it is 30.7%. The gap is threefold even though the connection gap is less than one and a half times. Technically, the network is available to everyone, but the habit of spending money online is very unevenly distributed.

Questions and answers

What percentage of Russians use the internet?

In 2025, 96 people out of 100. The indicator is calculated for people who went online in the last three months.

What percentage of households in Russia has internet access?

91.9% in 2025 versus 48.4% in 2010. Broadband access is available to 91.4% of households.

Which region of Russia has the most accessible internet?

In terms of the share of households with access, the leaders are the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug (100%), Tatarstan (99.8%) and Magadan Oblast (99.6%). The lowest share is in Oryol Oblast at 72.2%.

What percentage of Russians buy goods online?

75.6% of the population in 2025. In 2013 it was 15.3%, a fivefold increase over twelve years.

Where do these data come from?

From the federal sample survey on the use of information technologies and information and telecommunication networks by the population. Rosstat conducts it annually, surveying households in all regions.

In brief

By 2025, 96 people out of 100 in Russia use the internet, 91.9% of households have access, and broadband has practically caught up with regular access. The regional gap in connections has narrowed to one and a half times, with northern okrugs featuring compact urban populations leading the list. The main unresolved issue is online shopping: 75.6% nationwide, 92.9% in Moscow and 30.7% in North Ossetia-Alania.

All series are taken from Rosstat’s open publications and are updated on the website as new data become available.

See also

• Share of households with internet access, by region
• Number of internet users per 100 people
• Share of the population that purchased goods and services online
• Retail trade turnover in Russia by year
• Paid services to the population in Russia