Cloudflare's Year in Review: A 19% Internet Traffic Growth in 2025
The internet is getting busier, according to Cloudflare's recent report, 'Cloudflare Radar 2025 Year in Review'. This year, global internet traffic increased by 19%, indicating that people are spending more time online than ever before.
This growth has led to some interesting developments in the digital world. AOL dial-up internet officially bid farewell, while satellite companies like Starlink brought the internet to remote areas, narrowing the digital divide.
The report highlights some key statistics about the state of the web in 2025. Cloudflare, being a major internet infrastructure provider, offers a unique perspective on online behavior.
Here are some of the key findings:
AI Bots on the Rise: AI companies are sending out bots to scrape the internet, causing a spike in bot activity on many websites. Cloudflare's report reveals that AI bots now account for 4.2% of all HTML requests.
Second Half Traffic Boost: Internet traffic grew steadily in the second half of the year, with a noticeable spike after the New Year, as people returned to work and school.
Google's Dominance: Google remains the most popular internet service, with a significant lead over its competitors. It's followed by Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft. Interestingly, ChatGPT didn't make it to the top 10.
Android's Popularity: Android devices dominate the online world, accounting for 65% of online traffic. iOS follows closely behind, but its adoption varies widely by region.
Starlink's Impact: Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet service, played a significant role in internet growth this year. It saw a 2.3x growth rate and launched its 10,000th satellite.
ChatGPT as the Top AI Service: Despite Google's advancements with Gemini 3, ChatGPT emerged as the most popular AI service, outranking Google's offering.
The report provides valuable insights into the ever-evolving digital landscape, offering a comprehensive look at the trends and changes that have shaped the internet in 2025.
