Website statistics 2024: Trends, data and security

In an increasingly digital world, websites play a crucial role in business, communication and information sharing. As the UK continues to be a major global player in a whole host of industries, understanding the facts and figures around the online world is more important than ever.

In this article, we have delved into the latest UK website statistics to provide insight into key trends and to shed light on how the online world is changing.

Internet penetration and usage

Despite its prevalence in most aspects of modern life in the UK, only around 60% of people globally had access to the internet in 2020, according to Our World in Data.

In the UK however, the figure is much higher, with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimating that 92% of adults were online in the same year, an increase of 1% from the previous year. Of course, there is a split by age, with 99% of adults between 16 and 44 years of age ‘recently using the internet’, compared to just 54% of adults 75 years or more.

The level of internet penetration in the UK is largely attributed to the availability of mobile devices, along with the advanced infrastructure for connectivity.

Siteefy data shows that there are over 1.1 billion websites online today, though only around 18% of those are active for a total of around 200 million active sites. The same site suggests that around 250 thousand new sites are created every day, which comes to around 3 being created every second. In the UK, Siteefy estimates that there are around 2.75 million sites active.

Beyond simple website accessibility, the UK also boasts one of the most successful online retail sectors in Europe, according to Statista.com. In 2021, online sales made up around 30% of all retail sales in the country, a figure that was accelerated in many ways by the Coronavirus pandemic, which led to even greater numbers of people online.

The fashion industry, in particular, has been one of the most profitable sectors in the UK and is expected to remain in poll position until 2025 at least. Consumer electronics is the next highest value category, in terms of revenue, with a range of sites, such as Amazon and eBay, driving the majority of online purchasing.

Website usage facts

There are around 2 billion websites on the internet.
Only around 400 million of the websites are active.
There are more than 20 million ecommerce websites online.
Users will form an opinion of your website in less than a second.
Website users look at the top-left corner of a website first.
Over a third of users will leave a site if they don’t like the navigation and design.

Social media presentation

Social media has become an integral part of the online world and the UK has been among the most prominent users of it.

According to Datareportal, there were 57.1 million social media users in the UK in January 2023, which is around 84% of the total population. Additional data suggests that peoples’ reasons for using social media vary considerably with the highest portion, around 53%, using it to keep in touch with friends and family, and the smallest portion, around 14.5%, using it for watching live streams. Other reasons include finding content (21.7%), sharing and discussing opinions (16.4%), and finding inspiration for things to do and buy (22.2%).

The top five social media platforms are listed below, along with the percentage of users:

Whatsapp – 73.4%
Facebook – 70.7%
Instagram – 56.4%
Facebook Messenger – 55.3%
Twitter – 42.8%

However, these percentages can change over time. For example, Meta’s new social media platform Threads reached over 100 million users within just a few days of being launched.

Social media platforms have evolved over time to provide a range of services. For that reason, business and personal users alike have begun using the various platforms for a whole host of reasons. For example, recent data suggests that UK businesses spend almost a quarter (24%) of their marketing budgets on social media marketing.

Data privacy and security

In recent years, data privacy and security have gained a lot of attention around the globe. The UK is one of several countries to have introduced strict data protection laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to provide governance on how businesses collect, store and use personal data. One of the primary aims of this regulation is to ensure that UK consumers are not subject to incorrect data usage.

Beyond GDPR, there is a range of privacy and security concerns that the UK public might be aware of, or that they might want to be aware of. If you operate online, then you will need to consider all of these issues closely.

Web security facts

43% of UK businesses have identified website breaches in the last year.
A data breach costs the average UK business website around £16,000.
32% of UK business websites have cyber insurance that does not cover ransomware.
One in every 3.7 thousand emails is a phishing email in the UK.
More than two thirds of UK businesses have not completed cyber risk assessments in the last year.

UK website statistics: Final thoughts

UK website statistics reflect a digitally mature country with a high internet penetration rate and a thriving online ecosystem. Businesses and individuals must stay abreast of the latest trends and best practices, including mobile responsiveness, social media integration, SEO, accessibility, and data privacy.

By harnessing the power of websites, organisations can effectively engage with their target audience and drive growth in the dynamic digital landscape of the UK.

Bryn Glover

Bryn is the founder and editor of WebsiteJumpStart. He has worked in the digital field for over a decade and was editor for Startups.co.uk - the UK's leading small business website - and for NerdWallet UK before launching WebsiteJumpStart to help people and businesses get online with ease.

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