Technology
The 50 Most Visited Websites in the World
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The 50 Most Visited Websites In the World
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If you spend any time online, it’s likely you’re familiar with some of the world’s most visited websites. On today’s internet, a handful of giants have unmatched dominance.
Top Three Websites (Monthly visits):
- Google: 92.5 billion
- YouTube: 34.6 billion
- Facebook: 25.5 billion
Together, the top three websites rake in 152 billion visits monthly, outpacing the next 47 websites combined. What’s more, as the pandemic transformed everything from the way we work, learn, communicate, and shop—a majority of these activities migrated online.
In this new visualization, we look at the most visited websites around the world, drawing data from SimilarWeb (as of November 2020).
The Top Global Websites
Servicing over two trillion search queries annually through its network, Alphabet-owned Google ranks highest with its flagship domain, Google.com. Google derives approximately 80% of its earnings from ad revenues.
Rank | Website | Monthly Visitors | Country of Origin | Category |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Google.com | 92.5B | U.S. | Search Engines |
2 | Youtube.com | 34.6B | U.S. | TV Movies and Streaming |
3 | Facebook.com | 25.5B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
4 | Twitter.com | 6.6B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
5 | Wikipedia.org | 6.1B | U.S. | Dictionaries and Encyclopedias |
6 | Instagram.com | 6.1B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
7 | Baidu.com | 5.6B | China | Search Engines |
8 | Yahoo.com | 3.8B | U.S. | News and Media |
9 | xvideos.com | 3.4B | Czech Republic | Adult |
10 | pornhub.com | 3.3B | Canada | Adult |
11 | Yandex.ru | 3.2B | Russia | Search Engines |
12 | Whatsapp.com | 3.1B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
13 | Amazon.com | 2.9B | U.S. | Marketplace |
14 | xnxx.com | 2.9B | Czech Republic | Adult |
15 | Zoom.us | 2.7B | U.S. | Computers Electronics and Technology |
16 | Live.com | 2.5B | U.S. | |
17 | Netflix.com | 2.4B | U.S. | TV Movies and Streaming |
18 | Yahoo.co.jp | 2.4B | Japan | News and Media |
19 | Vk.com | 1.8B | Russia | Social Networks and Online Communities |
20 | Reddit.com | 1.6B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
21 | Office.com | 1.6B | U.S. | Programming and Developer Software |
22 | Naver.com | 1.5B | South Korea | News and Media |
23 | Pinterest.com | 1.3B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
24 | Discord.com | 1.2B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
25 | Linkedin.com | 1.2B | U.S. | Social Networks and Online Communities |
26 | Cnn.com | 1.2B | U.S. | News and Media |
27 | xhamster.com | 1.2B | Cyprus | Adult |
28 | Microsoft.com | 1.1B | U.S. | Programming and Developer Software |
29 | Mail.ru | 1.1B | Russia | |
30 | Globo.com | 1.0B | Brazil | News and Media |
31 | Bing.com | 1.0B | U.S. | Search Engines |
32 | Twitch.tv | 1.0B | U.S. | Video Games Consoles and Accessories |
33 | Google.com.br | 1.0B | Brazil | Search Engines |
34 | QQ.com | 981.3M | China | News and Media |
35 | Microsoftonline.com | 968.9M | Unknown | Programming and Developer Software |
36 | ebay.com | 957.1M | U.S. | Marketplace |
37 | Msn.com | 885.4M | U.S. | News and Media |
38 | News.yahoo.co.jp | 839.8M | Japan | News and Media |
39 | Duckduckgo.com | 819.4M | U.S. | Search Engines |
40 | Ok.ru | 764.9M | Russia | Social Networks and Online Communities |
41 | Walmart.com | 718.6M | U.S. | Marketplace |
42 | Bilibili.com | 686.0M | China | Animation and Comics |
43 | Tiktok.com | 663.2M | China | Social Networks and Online Communities |
44 | Paypal.com | 657.2M | U.S. | Financial Planning and Management |
45 | Google.de | 624.5M | Germany | Search Engines |
46 | Amazon.co.jp | 619.2M | Japan | Marketplace |
47 | Aliexpress.com | 611.0M | China | Marketplace |
48 | Amazon.de | 608.8M | Germany | Marketplace |
49 | Rakuten.co.jp | 593.4M | Japan | Marketplace |
50 | Amazon.co.uk | 579.7M | United Kingdom | Marketplace |
Coming in second, social networking platform Facebook has a user base of 2.7 billion. On average, users spend 34 minutes on the site daily, while 36% of users say it’s also where they get their news—higher than any other social network.
As the leading search engine in China, Baidu (#7) received 5.6 billion visitors in November. Baidu is also branching out its business— venturing into electric vehicles (EVs) in a partnership with China-based automaker Geely.
As video conferencing vaulted in demand during the pandemic, Zoom (#15), launched into the most visited websites with 2.7 billion visitors monthly. Similarly, TikTok (#43) became a freshly minted addition.
The Most Visited Websites, By Country of Origin
With 27 sites on the list, the U.S. remains a dominant player. While its reach is highly concentrated on a global level, just a handful of companies own a majority of these sites.
See the static version of each regional graphic here.
Microsoft (#28), for instance, owns seven of the top sites in the world including LinkedIn (#25) and Live.com (#16). Amazon (#13), on the other hand owns five including Twitch.tv (#32), along with popular Amazon-focused domains in Japan, U.K., and Germany.
China holds five top websites: Baidu (#7), QQ (#34), Bilibili (#42), TikTok (#43), and AliExpress (#47). The Tencent-owned QQ.com, ranks as the top news site in China, with over 981 million monthly visits. Like WeChat, QQ also provides a popular messaging platform.
Just four of the most visited websites globally are based in both Russia and Japan, while the rest of the world account for 10 top sites altogether.
Reaching New Heights
While global internet patterns are clearly dominated by a few titans, what can we make of their recent traffic growth?
Between June 2019 and November 2020, Google’s monthly visitors increased 52.9%. Among the most visited websites globally, this rate of growth falls only behind Instagram (#6) at 89.1% and Twitter (#4) at 67.1%.
Wikipedia (#5), a non-profit website that originated in 2001 by Larry Sanger and Jimmy Wales realized over 30% growth.
While large tech companies have only accelerated their market share—Google makes up roughly 90% of the search ad market—several regulatory bodies are placing greater scrutiny on them. An October 2020 antitrust report suggested that Big Tech is in fact anti-competitive, drawing comparisons with oil tycoons of the 19th and 20th centuries.
With these key forces in mind, it raises a critical question: is there a limit to their growth?
Technology
The Top Downloaded Apps in 2022
Six of the top 10 most downloaded apps in Q1 2022 were social media apps, and four of them are owned by Meta.

The Top Downloaded Apps in 2022
Whether they’re providing a service like ride-sharing or acting as a mere source of entertainment, mobile apps have become an integral part of many peoples’ day-to-day lives.
But which apps are most popular among users?
This graphic uses data from a recent report by Sensor Tower to show the top 10 most downloaded apps around the world in Q1 2022 from the Google Play and Apple App Store.
Social Reigns Supreme
According to the report, total app downloads reached 36.9 billion in Q1 2022, a 1.4% increase compared to Q1 2021.
A majority of the top 10 most downloaded apps were social media platforms, with Meta and ByteDance owning six of the top 10.
Rank | App | Category |
---|---|---|
1 | TikTok | Entertainment |
2 | Photo and video | |
3 | Social networking | |
4 | Messaging | |
5 | Shopee | Shopping |
6 | Telegram | Messaging |
7 | Snapchat | Photo and video |
8 | Messenger | Messaging |
9 | CapCut | Photo and video |
10 | Spotify | Music |
Meta’s four platforms on the list are Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger, while ByteDance owns TikTok and video-editing platform CapCut.
Just outside the top 10 are Zoom and WhatsApp Business (yet another Meta-owned app).
TikTok’s Winding Road to the Top
In Q1 2021, TikTok exceeded 3.5 billion all-time downloads, becoming the fifth app (and the first non-Meta app) to reach this milestone. This is impressive considering the app has been banned in India as of June 2020. Prior to the ban, India accounted for 30% of TikTok’s downloads.
India’s not the only country that’s banned the use of TikTok. Pakistan has blocked TikTok multiple times because of concerns over “inappropriate” content. However, it’s worth noting that the bans in Pakistan only lasted a few days before being lifted, and currently, Pakistanis are able to access the platform.
Top 10 Highest Grossing Apps
TikTok isn’t just the most downloaded app in the world—it’s also the highest-grossing non-game app, based on Q1 2022 revenue from the App Store and Google Play:
Rank | App | Category |
---|---|---|
1 | TikTok | Entertainment |
2 | YouTube | Photo and video |
3 | Disney+ | Entertainment |
4 | Google One | Productivity |
5 | Tinder | Lifestyle |
6 | Piccoma | Books |
7 | Tencent Video | Entertainment |
8 | iQIYI | Entertainment |
9 | HBO Max | Entertainment |
10 | LINE Manga | Entertainment |
TikTok generated an impressive $821 million in consumer spending in the last quarter. The video-sharing platform was the top-grossing app on the App Store, and the second-highest-grossing on Google Play, coming just after Google One.
While none of Meta’s platforms made it onto the top 10 list for gross revenue, these platforms make a ton of money that doesn’t necessarily flow through app stores. In 2021, Meta generated more than $117.9 billion in revenue, with over 97% of that coming from ads.
Growth’s on the Horizon
The pandemic had a massive impact on the app market.
In 2020, app spending on things like premium access, in-app purchases, and subscriptions surged by 30% year-over-year to reach $111 billion.
And while COVID-19 restrictions are easing in most places around the world, app spending isn’t likely to taper off anytime soon. By 2025, spending is expected to grow to $270 billion.
Technology
Synthetic Biology: The $3.6 Trillion Science Changing Life as We Know It
The field of synthetic biology could solve problems in a wide range of industries, from medicine to agriculture—here’s how.

How Synthetic Biology Could Change Life as we Know it
Synthetic biology (synbio) is a field of science that redesigns organisms in an effort to enhance and support human life. According to one projection, this rapidly growing field of science is expected to reach $28.8 billion in global revenue by 2026.
Although it has the potential to transform many aspects of society, things could go horribly wrong if synbio is used for malicious or unethical reasons. This infographic explores the opportunities and potential risks that this budding field of science has to offer.
What is Synthetic Biology?
We’ve covered the basics of synbio in previous work, but as a refresher, here’s a quick explanation of what synbio is and how it works.
Synbio is an area of scientific research that involves editing and redesigning different biological components and systems in various organisms.
It’s like genetic engineering but done at a more granular level—while genetic engineering transfers ready-made genetic material between organisms, synbio can build new genetic material from scratch.
The Opportunities of Synbio
This field of science has a plethora of real-world applications that could transform our everyday lives. A study by McKinsey found over 400 potential uses for synbio, which were broken down into four main categories:
- Human health and performance
- Agriculture and food
- Consumer products and services
- Materials and energy production
If those potential uses become reality in the coming years, they could have a direct economic impact of up to $3.6 trillion per year by 2030-2040.
1. Human Health and Performance
The medical and health sector is predicted to be significantly influenced by synbio, with an economic impact of up to $1.3 trillion each year by 2030-2040.
Synbio has a wide range of medical applications. For instance, it can be used to manipulate biological pathways in yeast to produce an anti-malaria treatment.
It could also enhance gene therapy. Using synbio techniques, the British biotech company Touchlight Genetics is working on a way to build synthetic DNA without the use of bacteria, which would be a game-changer for the field of gene therapy.
2. Agriculture and Food
Synbio has the potential to make a big splash in the agricultural sector as well—up to $1.2 trillion per year by as early as 2030.
One example of this is synbio’s role in cellular agriculture, which is when meat is created from cells directly. The cost of creating lab-grown meat has decreased significantly in recent years, and because of this, various startups around the world are beginning to develop a variety of cell-based meat products.
3. Consumer Products and Services
Using synthetic biology, products could be tailored to suit an individual’s unique needs. This would be useful in fields such as genetic ancestry testing, gene therapy, and age-related skin procedures.
By 2030-2040, synthetic biology could have an economic impact on consumer products and services to the tune of up to $800 billion per year.
4. Materials and Energy Production
Synbio could also be used to boost efficiency in clean energy and biofuel production. For instance, microalgae are currently being “reprogrammed” to produce clean energy in an economically feasible way.
This, along with other material and energy improvements through synbio methods, could have a direct economic impact of up to $300 billion each year.
The Potential Risks of Synbio
While the potential economic and societal benefits of synthetic biology are vast, there are a number of risks to be aware of as well:
- Unintended biological consequences: Making tweaks to any biological system can have ripple effects across entire ecosystems or species. When any sort of lifeform is manipulated, things don’t always go according to plan.
- Moral issues: How far we’re comfortable going with synbio depends on our values. Certain synbio applications, such as embryo editing, are controversial. If these types of applications become mainstream, they could have massive societal implications, with the potential to increase polarization within communities.
- Unequal access: Innovation and progress in synbio is happening faster in wealthier countries than it is in developing ones. If this trend continues, access to these types of technology may not be equal worldwide. We’ve already witnessed this type of access gap during the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, where a majority of vaccines have been administered in rich countries.
- Bioweaponry: Synbio could be used to recreate viruses, or manipulate bacteria to make it more dangerous, if used with ill intent.
According to a group of scientists at the University of Edinburgh, communication between the public, synthetic biologists, and political decision-makers is crucial so that these societal and environmental risks can be mitigated.
Balancing Risk and Reward
Despite the risks involved, innovation in synbio is happening at a rapid pace.
By 2030, most people will have likely eaten, worn, or been treated by a product created by synthetic biology, according to synthetic biologist Christopher A. Voigt.
Our choices today will dictate the future of synbio, and how we navigate through this space will have a massive impact on our future—for better, or for worse.
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