After the success of Web 2.0, the next generation of the Internet, Web 3.0 is here! Web3, also known as the Decentralized Web, is the new version of the Internet that is not controlled by any single company or government. It’s created to be open, secure, and puts users in control of their data. It would be more interoperable, more trustworthy, resilient to censorship, and is expected to be a lot better than the current version of the Internet.
There’s no one definition, but Web 3.0 is a general term that encompasses the idea of the decentralized web. It includes things like blockchain and cryptocurrency, sure, but also the more philosophical notion of a web where people create their own platforms for content and monetization rather than relying on large companies to do it for them.
This blog post will supply you with the latest, up-to-date, Web 3.0 statistics that will help you understand the future trends much better.
From the numbers, we’ll see what’s happening now and predict what could grow tomorrow. These Web 3.0 statistics can help you take advantage of the trends that will shape your lives – enjoy!
19 Incredible Web3 Statistics
1. The term “Web3” was originally coined in 2014.
(Wired)
In 2014, Gavin Wood, founder of Polkadot and co-founder of Ethereum, used the term “Web3” to describe a decentralized online ecosystem based on blockchain.
Web3 is the idea that we can have a decentralized, open Internet—one where users are in control of their data and where they have a say in how their data is used. In this version of the Internet, we’d be able to transact directly and securely with each other without having to go through a centralized service like Apple Pay or PayPal.
While Web 1.0 was all about static pages, Web 2.0 was about dynamic content and social networks. Web 3 will be all about decentralized apps (dApps) that don’t rely on centralized services or organizations for their operation.
Though this idea might sound complex, there are already a number of dApps with millions of users—for example, Brave Browser and MetaMask. These applications offer an alternative to traditional browsers like Google Chrome, while they still let you use centralized services like Facebook and Twitter.
2. The combined market capitalization of the top Web3 crypto networks is $27.5 billion.
(Grayscale)
It may seem like crypto is everywhere these days, but the fact is that we’re still in the very early stages of what’s possible.
With a total market cap of $27.5 billion, the leading Web 3.0 Metaverse crypto networks are a drop in the bucket compared to the web 2.0 giants.
Facebook alone is a massive behemoth with a $900 billion market cap, and the total gaming sector has a $2 trillion market cap, yet these industries are only scratching the surface of what’s possible in terms of interactive social experiences and entertainment.
In comparison, Web-based companies such as Facebook, Amazon, and Google have a total combined value of around $14.8 trillion, which is more than 500 times greater than the leading Web 3.0 Metaverse crypto networks combined!
When you look at these numbers, it’s clear that there is massive room for growth in the Web 3.0 Metaverse market—and that means any investment you make now could yield incredible returns down the line.
The Web 3.0 Metaverse is a huge opportunity for these companies—and for you too!
3. 438 Web 3.0 companies have raised over $4.5 billion in funding so far.
(Dove Metrics)
The statistics on web3 startups are in, and they’re pretty exciting:
438 startups that offer services and technologies associated with web 3.0 have received a combined total of more than $4.5 billion in investment funding since the advent of web 3.0.
These numbers are encouraging because they show that investors are moving away from the old-fashioned web 2.0 model and embracing a more dynamic approach to engaging with audiences on the internet.
The increased investment also suggests that investors’ faith in this new model has strengthened over the last year, which is great news for everyone interested in innovative ways to engage with audiences online!
Companies are creating applications that are user-centric and decentralized—websites and apps that aren’t held by one single authority or organization but rather shared among users’ individual devices (an example is distributed databases). The whole idea behind this is to create a more open-source internet that improves upon its current incarnation, which is often referred to as “web 2.0.”
So what does this mean for you? Well, you might start seeing new kinds of technology built on web 3.0 principles pop up everywhere—and it could change how you do things like interact with your phone or even manage your finances. We’re all still learning what these new technologies can do, so there are probably some pretty amazing things ahead!
4. Polkadot is the top-ranked Web3 token by market capitalization ($17.48 billion).
(CoinMarketCap)
Polkadot (DOT) is the #1 Web3 token in terms of market capitalization, currently sitting at $17.48 billion. The second-highest is Chainlink (LINK), valued at $6.54 billion, followed by Filecoin (FIL) and Theta Network (THETA).
Without getting into the complexities, Polkadot is a system that lets different blockchains talk to each other. This means that Polkadot isn’t just its own blockchain—it’s a way for all kinds of different blockchains to connect and transact safely with each other. At the same time, Polkadot is also its own cryptocurrency, which operates on its own blockchain.
5. As many as 54% of American consumers have never heard of “Web 3.0”.
(National Research Group)
A survey was conducted to try to find out how much consumers have heard the term “web3” and what they think it means. And the results are in!
The general population’s familiarity with the term web3 is still quite low, with over half (54%) of the consumers saying they have not heard of the term web3 before.
We’re not surprised—it’s a new and rapidly-evolving industry, and many people have heard the term blockchain without realizing it’s related to web3.
6. 79% of American adults who don’t own cryptocurrency are unfamiliar with the term “Web3”.
(Morning Consult)
In a recent survey of 4400+ US adults, respondents were asked if they were aware of the term Web3. Turns out, that 62% of those who own cryptocurrency are aware of the term, compared to only 21% of respondents who do not own cryptocurrency.
We think these numbers are pretty intuitive: people who own cryptocurrency have a greater need to be knowledgeable about their investment and how it works.
Not only that, but many people in the crypto community like to talk about it online and on social media platforms, so it’s no surprise that you’d find out about Web3 from scrolling through your Instagram feed.
7. Men are significantly more likely than women to know about Web3.
(Survey Monkey)
While 17% of men have heard of this new internet revolution termed web 3.0, only 8% of women can say the same. This might be because the current Web3 product is aimed at developers, and the developer field continues to be primarily male.
There’s still a lot of work to do in terms of making tech more accessible for everyone, regardless of gender or other demographic factors.
8. The younger generations are more likely than the older ones to be aware of Web3.
(Survey Monkey)
According to the findings of a recent survey, 20% of Gen Zers and 18% of Millennials are aware of Web3, compared to 11% of Gen Xers and only 8% of Boomers.
It’s no surprise that the younger generations are more familiar with Web 3.0 than the older ones.
Gen Zers and Millennials were born at a time when the Internet was already fully developed, so they grew up using it—they have the baseline knowledge necessary to understand how revolutionary something like Web 3.0 could be. They may also naturally be more interested in disruptive technologies like Web 3.0 because disruptions are often seen as advantageous by younger people who have fewer resources to lose compared to older people who have built wealth over time.
9. 81% of consumers who have heard about Web 3.0 think that it will improve their happiness and wellbeing.
(National Research Group)
We’re all constantly looking for ways to improve our lives—to be happier and more fulfilled. That’s why it’s no surprise that, according to a recent survey, 81% of respondents who had heard of Web 3.0 believe that it will have a positive impact on their overall happiness and wellbeing.
One of the biggest concerns about the Internet is that it makes people unhappy. We’ve all spent time scrolling through social media feeds and feeling worse about ourselves or our lives. Most of us have also felt the frustration when our Wi-Fi cuts off, or we can’t get a signal on our phones, and we’re cut off from the rest of humanity—a thought that causes anxiety even if we know it will only last for a minute or two.
The good news is that technology is improving, and we’re entering a new age of the Internet—one that’s going to connect us in ways we couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago.
Web 3.0 is a different type of Internet—one where data flows both ways between users and websites instead of just one way from website to user. It will give users more control over their data and allow them to use it in more powerful ways than ever before.
10. Of those aware of the Web3, 41% think that only a few people will benefit from it.
(Survey Monkey)
While Web3 advocates have been quick to spread the word about the benefits of a decentralized web, the public at large still has some questions.
Among those who are aware of Web3, 41% believe that the technology will only benefit a small group of people. Almost as many, 41%, believe that it will become mainstream. A much smaller number, 17%, believe that Web3 is just a fad and that it won’t be a part of the future.
11. The most common worry about Web 3.0 is that it will make cybercrime more common.
(National Research Group)
When you think about Web 3.0, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Many of us associate it with convenience and connectivity. But not everyone is so optimistic. In fact, many people surveyed were concerned about the future of Web 3.0 when it came to online safety.
It’s no surprise that, as with any new technology, a lot of people are worried about how Web 3.0 will affect their lives and their online experiences.
About one-third (33%) of consumers were most concerned about the potential for scams and cybercrime to increase as Web 3.0 technology becomes more common.
Additionally, 31% of consumers are worried that Web 3.0 will render their existing devices obsolete. This may be true for some devices, but the nature of technology is that it’s always changing—and it’s not just smartphones or computers that are affected. Even televisions have become obsolete over time because new ones come out every year with better features than last year’s models did! It makes sense that people would want something newer/faster/better when they see what else is on offer.
12. 43% of users want Web 3.0 to be regulated even more stringently than the Internet currently is.
(National Research Group)
Web 3.0 is the future of the internet, and it’s still being dreamed up and built. The underlying technology is designed to reduce the centralization of power in technology companies like Facebook and Google, giving users more control over their data and how it’s used.
It will also be better at protecting your privacy than the internet as we know it today, though there are already serious concerns about how that might be abused instead.
But regardless of whether it does end up being a good thing or a bad thing for your privacy, people are concerned about the prospect of less regulation in this new frontier—43% believe the Web’s third incarnation (Web3) should be more heavily regulated than today’s internet, while only 16% of people think it should have less regulation.
13. The term Web3 gets searched 195,000 times per month on Google.
(Google Trends)
Interest in Web3 is on the rise.
The term “Web3” gets nearly 200,000 Google searches per month. The term became particularly popular in the second last week of December 2021, when searches for it spiked to almost twice the monthly average.
The term Web3 has been around since 2017, but interest in it spiked during the week of December 19-25, 2021.
(Glimpse)
Web 3 is talked about more on Twitter than any other social media channel, followed by LinkedIn, Reddit, Youtube, Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, and then Pinterest
Twitter is a unique platform. It’s fast-paced and has a passionate user base that is quick to jump on trends and discussions. Twitter has been an early adopter of many new technologies and encourages users to try out new products and services. Perhaps this explains why Web 3, which can be hard to grasp, is discussed the most on the platform.
While other social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Tumblr are great at capturing and transmitting a variety of information—and each has its own niche—Twitter is the place where people tend to talk about Web 3.0 most often.
It also makes sense that Web 3 would be discussed here because topics like “decentralization” and “open source” are often top-of-mind for Twitter users. People who use Twitter tend to be interested in these kinds of themes, so it makes sense that they would also be interested in Web 3.
Now that you know where people are talking about Web 3.0 the most, you can target advertising campaigns accordingly and make sure your content reaches an audience that wants it!
15. China has the highest search popularity of the term web3.
(Google Trends)
As of today, the country with the highest popularity of the search term “web3” on Google is China, with a score of 100 on Google Trends. However, that’s not to say there isn’t interest in web3 around the world!
The second-highest is Singapore, with a search interest score of 14, followed by South Korea (13) and Hong Kong (12).
The United States has a higher volume of searches than these countries put together, but those searches are weighed against all Google searches done by people in the United States, so they don’t register quite as high on Google Trends.
16. In 2021, more than 34,000 developers contributed code to open-source Web3 projects.
(Electric Capital)
One of the things we love most about Web3 is its developers. There’s nothing like a thriving community of creatives, and that’s what makes Web3 so special.
We’re thrilled about this statistic because we think that the more developers working on Web3 projects, the better. The more people get involved in this community, the stronger it gets.
As the industry grows and becomes more widely used, it’s super important that it’s not owned by one company or even a small group of companies.
We don’t want to be dependent on just a few people with their own biases and agendas; we want to be able to tap into the collective consciousness of developers who care deeply about this technology and want to grow it in the right direction.
17. 18,000+ developers are actively working on open-source crypto and Web3 projects.
(Electric Capital)
It’s no secret that the crypto world is growing. But have you ever wondered if the number of developers working on Web3 projects is growing, too? Well, it is, and faster than ever.
All over the world, developers are flocking to open source crypto and Web3 projects 18,416 developers globally each month contribute code to open source crypto and Web 3.0 projects.
Crypto and Web3 projects are the future. They’re not just a passing trend: they’re a fundamental shift in how we think about technology, community, and money.
18. .xyz domains are most popular among the Web3 and NFT communities.
(Domain Name Stat)
One of our most surprising discoveries has been the prevalence of .xyz domains among the Web3 and NFT communities.
.xyz domains represent the ability to break free of old ways of doing things in order to imagine amazing new possibilities. Since they were introduced in 2014, they’ve been adopted by more than 10 million websites worldwide—including Google’s parent company, Alphabet, Inc.
19. Indian VC firms have pledged $150+ million over the next 3 years to support Indian Web 3.0 startups
(Economic Times)
As India prepares for a digital revolution, Indian VC firms are taking a closer look at the next stage of how the internet will evolve. i.e. Web 3.0 – which is based on blockchain technology to create a decentralized online ecosystem.
Some Indian venture capital firms are betting big on Web 3.0 startups as they believe such companies have the potential to become the future kings of the internet space. These VC firms have pledged $150 million over the next three years to support Indian Web 3.0 startups, according to an Indian media report.
The surge in these investments is being led by VC firms such as Antler India and Sequoia, which have shown interest in supporting Indian startups working on blockchain technology.
This announcement comes after some well-known names from the industry like Jump Capital and Coinbase Ventures announced their interest in getting involved in Indian Web 3.0 startups earlier in 2021.
Conclusion
So what’s the verdict? Web 3.0 is coming, and it’s going to be big.
The future of the web looks something like this:
- Less centralization, more decentralization
- More user control, less company control
- More data security, more user privacy
- More personalization, less ads
- More automation, higher productivity
We’ve looked at the latest statistics about Web 3.0 and its impact on internet users, businesses, and the world as a whole.
At this point, we hope you’re familiar with how Web 3.0 works and why we believe it’s a huge opportunity for growth—not just in the web space, but in the way we think about our role as humans.
Ultimately, Web 3.0 is all about putting people first.
The idea that we have individual agency over our own data, that we can take greater responsibility over how it’s shared and used, is an exciting one—especially when you consider that almost half of us currently feel like our data is being used in ways we don’t understand or approve of.
These numbers point to a very clear trend: Web 3.0 is the future of web development, and the sooner you can adopt this approach, the better off you’ll be.
As you can see, there is still plenty of room for growth in this sector, and the earlier you can grab a piece of that market share, the better off your business will be in the long run.
Thanks so much for reading! We hope you liked all of the stats we shared with you. And if you have any other fun facts about Web 3.0, please let us know!
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