Rural India drives internet usage, growing nearly 4 times urban pace

Rural India continued to propel the internet user base in the country, with an active user base of 548 million as of 2025. Rural regions now account for over 57 per cent of India’s active internet users and are growing at nearly four times the pace of urban India, signalling a structural shift in where and how digital adoption is expanding, a report said.

 

India’s total internet user base is now inching close to a billion users, with the active internet user (AIU) base at 958 million, according to the Internet in India Report 2025 by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Kantar. 

The 958 million user base marks 8 per cent year-on-year growth, reinforcing India’s position as one of the world’s largest and fastest-evolving digital markets. Usage is also growing on the back of the rising popularity of short-video consumption and AI adoption. 

The report also reveals that 44 per cent of users have engaged with AI-enabled features such as voice search, image-based search, chatbots, and AI filters. Usage is highest among younger audiences, with 57 per cent of users aged 15–24 years and 52 per cent of those aged 25–44 years reporting AI usage in the past year.

 

Short-video consumption has emerged as a key growth driver within this expanding user base. In 2025, 588 million (61 per cent) internet users consumed short-video content, with rural users marginally outnumbering urban users. Adoption is strongest among younger audiences, cementing their role as a key driver of digital engagement.

 

Quick commerce is leading a fundamental shift in how Indians shop online, with social commerce close behind, as the ecommerce ecosystem expands beyond traditional online marketplaces. Among urban users, 230 million people (56 per cent) of the urban active internet base shopped online in the past year, with quick commerce and social commerce gaining prominence alongside established marketplaces.

 

The report also revealed that multi-device usership is on the rise. India now has 193 million multi-device internet users, representing 20 per cent of all active internet users, up from 165 million in 2024. Urban adoption stands at 31 per cent, while rural India is catching up at 12 per cent.

 

Shared device usage also continues to be a key enabler of digital access. One in five internet users in India access the internet using someone else’s mobile device. Nearly 80 per cent of these users are based in rural areas.