The proportion of global web traffic generated by humans is diminishing, while bot activity is increasing.
According to the Imperva Bad Bot Reports, in 2018, humans still made up 62 percent of web traffic, with malicious bots at 20 percent and benign bots at 18 percent.
However, the distribution of web traffic has drastically changed over the past seven years.
As illustrated in the chart by Statista’s Tristan Gaudiat below, humans now account for less than half of all traffic (49 percent in 2024), while malicious bots have risen to 37 percent, surpassing benign bots (14 percent) by a significant margin.
More infographics can be found at Statista
This surge in malicious bot activity highlights a growing cybersecurity issue.
Bad bots are commonly utilized for stealing login credentials, gathering sensitive information, spreading misinformation, and manipulating online advertisements.
Industries like e-commerce, finance, and social media are particularly impacted.
Bot fraud is estimated to result in billions of dollars in losses for businesses annually.
However, not all bots pose a threat.
Benign bots, such as search engine crawlers and chatbots, play a vital role in web indexing and enhancing user experiences.
Nevertheless, their diminishing presence suggests that cybercriminals are surpassing legitimate automation.
With AI and machine learning making bots more sophisticated, their increasing share of web traffic is likely to remain a significant trend in the foreseeable future.