IPv6 Explained: Global Implementation, Regional Features, Trends of 2025

The HilltopAds ad network team is back with new priceless data about another part of affiliate marketing.

In previous articles we’ve already covered Popularity of Browsers by Regions and Devices, as well as Ad Blocker Usage in Different Countries.

Now it’s time to move forward and learn more about the most popular and frequently used internet protocol – IPv6.

IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the most recent version of the Internet Protocol, designed to replace the older IPv4. It provides a larger address space, enabling more unique IP addresses to be assigned to devices, which is essential as the number of connected devices continues to grow. IPv6 addresses are written in a hexadecimal format, allowing for trillions of unique IP addresses compared to the limited number available in IPv4.

As IPv6 adoption continues to grow globally, staying informed about its popularity and regional trends is crucial for affiliates looking to maximize the reach and efficiency of their campaigns. Here’s why this research is must-to-know for you:

This study aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the global adoption of the IPv6 protocol, examining its usage across various regions and identifying the leading countries by their IPv6 adoption share.

First, let’s take a look at the overall statistics for IPv6 adoption worldwide.

• Over 40% of global traffic now runs on IPv6. According to publicly available Google statistics, the 25% milestone was surpassed in late 2019 and early 2020. As a result, the number of IPv6 users has increased by 60% over the past four years.
• In North America and Asia, IPv6 now accounts for half of all traffic.
• In contrast, African countries are falling behind global trends, with IPv6 making up only 4% of traffic.

Let’s take a closer look at each region.

As you might guess it, the three largest countries in the region—the USA, Canada, and Mexico—have a high share of IPv6 adoption.

Moreover, North America has the highest IPv6 adoption rate in the world. In two of the three largest countries in the region, the share exceeds 50%:

• USA: 55%
• Mexico: 53%
• Canada: 41%

In Central America and the Caribbean, the situation is generally much worse, with IPv6 share not exceeding 20%. However, there are few exceptions: Puerto Rico (53%), Guatemala (55%), and Nicaragua (47%).

Unlike North America, Asia cannot be divided into regions with higher or lower IPv6 adoption rates—this figure varies significantly from country to country.

• The leaders in the region (and even globally) are India (82%) and Malaysia (66%).
• High adoption rates are also seen in Israel (61%), Saudi Arabia (58%), Nepal (57%), Vietnam (52%), Sri Lanka (52%), and Japan (50%).
• In other countries, the share of IPv6 is below 40%, with some countries nearing 0%.

Without any questions, the leaders in IPv6 implementation in South America are Uruguay (62%), Brazil (51%), and Paraguay (41%).

• Overall, the IPv6 share in the region is quite high, ranging from 20% to 35%.
• The only exception is Venezuela, with just 3%.

IPv6 is widely used in Western European countries.

• Western Europe counties with the highest share of IPv6: Belgium (63%), Germany (61%), France (49%).
• IPv6 is also widely used in Greece (55%), Hungary (50%), Norway (47%), and Portugal (49%).
• In other regions, the share of IPv6 does not exceed 15%, with the lowest values observed in Eastern European countries (Russia, and the Balkans).

Here the share of IPv6 is between 24% and 30%.

• In Australia, the share of IPv6 is 24%, while in New Zealand, it is 30%.

Sometimes last is also the least, because the share of IPv6 in Africa is extremely low.

• The share of IPv6 in most countries in the region ranges from a fraction of a percent to a few percent.
• Local leaders in IPv6 adoption are Togo (32%), Gabon (30%), Congo (29%), Malawi (26%), and Burkina Faso (21%).

IPv6 implementation continues to grow worldwide, with notable regional trends shaping the internet landscape. Here’s an overview of the key developments:

The chart shows how the share of IPv6 has changed globally and in individual regions over the past year.

• On average, the share of IPv6 has increased (by up to 5% in a year), though some countries have seen a decline in this metric (indicated by the left “whiskers” on the chart).
• IPv6 adoption is growing fastest in North and South America, while it is progressing more slowly in Asia and Europe.
• In European countries, the decline in IPv6 adoption is most noticeable in 2024.

This year’s data was compared to the data from the same period last year.

The chart shows the countries grouped by region where the strongest growth in IPv6 adoption occurred over the 2024:

The chart shows the countries where the share of IPv6 dropped the most over the year.

Summing up, IPv6 continues to cover the more and more of the internet year by year. We also want to highlight a few key points as a major results of this reseach:

• Our estimates of IPv6 share by country align with the open data from other sources such as Akamai and Google.
• IPv6 accounts for around 40% of total traffic.
• IPv6 is most widely adopted in North America (USA, Mexico) and Asia (India, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Nepal).
• The lowest share of IPv6 is in African countries, with an average of just 4% of all traffic on the continent.
• Overall, the share of IPv6 is increasing. According to trends of 2024, it is growing the fastest in North and South American countries, while adoption is slowest in Europe.
• Despite the consistent growth trend, some countries (even developed ones) have seen a decline in IPv6 adoption over the past year.

For advertisers, this growing shift towards IPv6 presents a valuable opportunity to optimize campaigns for a more connected and expansive global audience. To ensure your ads reach the maximum number of users across all regions, it’s essential to partner with platforms that are fully equipped to handle IPv6 traffic.

Ready to tap into the power of IPv6? Run your ads with HilltopAds and stay ahead of the curve in reaching a wider, more engaged audience.