Global internet traffic climbed to an unprecedented 79 exabytes in 2025, highlighting the expanding role of Internet Exchanges as foundational infrastructure for the digital economy worldwide.
Figures released by DE-CIX, the world’s largest Internet Exchange operator, show that data volumes grew by 16 per cent year-on-year, more than doubling levels recorded five years ago. The surge reflects rising demand from high-bandwidth digital activities, including live sports streaming, artificial intelligence processing, cloud computing, remote work platforms and the growing number of connected devices.
Brandspur Brand News reports that the rapid expansion in data flows underscores a structural shift in how digital economies function, with Internet Exchanges now operating as strategic hubs rather than background infrastructure. By enabling networks and content providers to exchange traffic locally, these hubs reduce latency, cut costs and improve service reliability for users.
The scale of global data growth is striking. Industry analysts estimate that 79 exabytes of data is equivalent to streaming a high-definition football match continuously for more than two million years, illustrating the intensity of modern digital consumption.
Europe remained a major driver of traffic growth in 2025. DE-CIX Frankfurt, the continent’s largest Internet Exchange, handled 48 exabytes of traffic during the year. Peak activity was recorded on 9 December 2025, coinciding with major UEFA Champions League fixtures, when global throughput reached 26.99 terabits per second, while Frankfurt alone peaked at 18.73 terabits per second.
Beyond Europe, traffic growth was also recorded across North America, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, signalling that digital demand is becoming increasingly decentralised. North American exchanges processed 11 exabytes of data, while hubs in Madrid and Dubai each handled 2.7 exabytes. Southeast Asia posted the fastest growth rate, expanding by 140 per cent to 1.2 exabytes.
The global trend is mirrored in Nigeria, where the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) recently surpassed 1 terabit per second in domestic traffic. The milestone places Nigeria among a growing group of countries building strong local digital ecosystems capable of handling high volumes of data without reliance on international routing.
By retaining traffic within national borders, IXPN enables faster and more cost-effective services for banks, fintech firms, telecom operators, content platforms and enterprises, while strengthening digital resilience and data sovereignty.
DE-CIX Chief Executive Officer Ivo Ivanov has linked the traffic surge to the combined impact of streaming services, AI workloads and hybrid work models, noting that high-capacity, resilient digital infrastructure is now essential for economic competitiveness.
As global data volumes edge closer to the 100-exabyte threshold, analysts say the focus is shifting from how much data is generated to how efficiently it is exchanged and where control of digital infrastructure resides.
From established hubs in Europe to emerging centres such as Lagos, Internet Exchanges are increasingly shaping the future of the digital economy, positioning countries with strong local infrastructure to capture greater economic value from the internet age.
