Internet penetration hits 99.6% in 2025; AI adoption at 45.2%

The Communications, Space and Technology Commission's (CST) headquarters

Saudi Arabia's internet market has entered an advanced stage of digital maturity, with internet penetration reaching 99.6%, a report by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST) showed.

This milestone coincides with increased consumption intensity, improved network speeds, and the widespread adoption of government services, banking, and e-commerce, alongside a significant surge in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Internet penetration in the Kingdom reached 99.6%, approaching universal adoption, with rates among most age groups under 60 hovering around 100%.

The data showed that geographic disparities in internet access have become very limited, with usage exceeding 98.5% across all regions.

Internet usage intensity was also high, with 61.3% of individuals using the internet for seven hours or more per day. The rate rose to 63.8% among females, compared with 59.4% among males.

Meanwhile, 34.1% use the internet for three to six hours per day, while only 4.6% use it for less than three hours.

Internet use while commuting ranked first at 84%, followed by use at home at 77.5%, while 41.4% used the internet at work.

The percentage of individuals purchasing products or services online reached 76.9%, rising to 85.6% among females, compared with 70.2% among males.

Clothing and footwear topped online purchases at 87.7%, followed by cosmetics at 46.2%, food products at 41.8%, and computers and smartphones at 36.9%.

AI adoption among individuals reached 45.2%, reflecting the growing integration of these technologies into everyday digital activities.

By gender, the rate stood at 52.8% among females, compared with 39.4% among males.

AI adoption was highest among younger age groups, with individuals aged 20–29 recording the highest rate at 55.7%, followed by those aged 10–19 at 53.4%.

The rate declined progressively with age, reaching 46.2% among those aged 30–39, 37.8% among those aged 40–49, 27.4% among those aged 50–59, and 14.8% among those aged 60–74.

Tabuk led the Kingdom’s regions in AI tool adoption at 58.5%, followed by Najran at 53.8%, Al Jouf at 50.8%, and the Eastern Province at 50.2%. Asir and Riyadh recorded rates of 48.9% and 46.6%, respectively.

Makkah and Madinah recorded rates of 42% and 39.7%, respectively, while the lowest rates were reported in the Northern Borders at 35.1%, Al Bahah at 32.2%, and Jazan at 30.7%.

Mobile internet data consumption per capita reached 53 GB per month, equivalent to about three times the global average, according to the report.

Riyadh accounted for the largest share of data traffic at 30.6%, followed by Makkah at 20.5% and the Eastern Province at 16.8%, with the remaining traffic distributed across other regions.

Internet of Things

The number of IoT subscriptions in the Kingdom reached 13.85 million in 2025, while urban population coverage for NB-IoT reached 99%.

More than 30,000 towers supported the technology, while household IoT adoption stood at around 18%.