South Africa Tops Global Online Usage, Sparking Debate on Internet Engagement

• South Africa ranks first globally in internet usage, with Google leading as the most visited site
• Online gambling and pornography feature prominently among the top ten most-visited websites in South Africa
• Netizens express concern about doom-scrolling and its impact on society amid rising online gambling addiction

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of Current Affairs, contributed coverage of international and local social issues, including health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests, and immigration in South Africa, during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

GAUTENG — South Africa has retained its spot as the country with the highest internet usage, with Google ranking at the top and pornography and online gambling ranking in the top 10 most-visited sites. Netizens had a spirited debate about the statistics.

X user Koshiek Karan posted a screenshot from SEMRush on his X account with updated figures of internet use, updated in December 2025. According to SEMRush, South Africans visited Google the most, with almost 432 million visits in 2025. YouTube followed with 173 million visits, and Facebook came in third with 66 million visits.

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Betway, X Videos, Pornhub higher than ChatGPT

The figures also showed that online gambling sites Betway and Hollywood Bets ranked numbers four and six, respectively, while Porn Hub and X Videos ranked numbers eight and seven, respectively. ChatGPT was ranked number nine, with Instagram taking the number 10 spot. X ranked higher than WhatsApp with 18 million visits.

The Anglican Archbishop, Thabo Makgoba, said on 25 December 2025 during his Christmas homily that he was concerned about the country's addiction to online gambling as reflected in SEMRush's statistics. He said that the online gambling industry accounted for 60% of the R12.5 trillion gambling industry.

What did South Africans say?

South Africans shared various opinions on the statistics, ranging from advice to concern.

Jesse F said:

"If only we could turn this into an online entrepreneurship and work online, we could change this country."

Gerard said:

"Mobile-first culture. Like many developing markets, South Africa leapfrogged directly to mobile internet rather than desktop, making it easier for people to stay connected throughout the day."

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Whispered Loom said:

"Not surprised. Gambling, porn, consumerism, and social media are driven by unemployment."

Natasha Huckfield said:

"If the employment rate increases, this will decrease."

Cath Jenkin said:

"What slays me even more is that we don't have free connectivity in South Africa. People are spending their last cents on data to gamble."

South African consumers lose R2 billion to online scams

In a related article, Briefly News reported that South African consumers were scammed R2 billion online in 2025. This was according to the South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC).

A cybersecurity expert said there was an uptick in online scams during the festive season. He attributed this to consumers doing last-minute shopping.

Source: Briefly News