- Global data consumption has increased 15% year-on-year, 113% in five years, CIX report states
- 2024 Traffic stood at 68 Exabytes, a staggering amount of data
- Sports events and video games are responsible
Global data traffic hit a new record of 68 exabytes in 2024, marking a significant 15% jump from 59 exabytes in 2023, according to a report from a major data manager.
New figures from De-Cix show overall traffic has more than doubled since 2020, when the pandemic caused millions of workers to be sent home and adopt new hybrid and remote work patterns.
In 2020, global data traffic stood at just 32 exabytes; Now, De-Cix says that five years later, we have seen 113% growth, as consumption subsequently increased to 38 exabytes in 2021, 48 exabytes in 2022, and 59 exabytes in 2023.
Increase in global data traffic
To put it in perspective, 2024’s 68 exabytes of data, exchanged across 3,400 global networks, would equate to a stack of paper 20 times taller than Mount Everest if printed. The same amount of data is equivalent to streaming a high-definition video for two million years continuously.
The company also noted the impact of the UEFA Champions League and video games on internet traffic, with 2024 peaking at 24.92 terabits/second on November 20 to coincide with multiple game releases.
Although gaming accounted for the majority of traffic in 2024, peaking in the third and fourth quarters, video conferencing also saw a summer surge with hybrids working as the “new normal” despite the best efforts of the tech giants. to bring people back to the office.
The data specifically comes from De-Cix, the world’s leading Internet exchange operator, which operates 60 locations in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
The news comes shortly after Cloudflare announced similar findings, claiming that global internet traffic increased 17% year over year. Their study emphasized Google’s dominance of both the browser and search markets, while also exploring the prevalence of artificial intelligence and social media.
