Top 50 English-Language News Websites in the World: May 2026 Traffic Trends and Analysis
The landscape of global English-language news websites continues to experience significant fluctuations, as revealed by the latest monthly analysis from Press Gazette, based on Similarweb data. The report highlights stark contrasts in traffic trends, with Indian news brands notably among those facing the steepest declines, while others like Al Jazeera and Substack demonstrate robust growth.
Key Findings from May 2026
In May 2026, more than 20% of the top 50 English-language news websites observed year-on-year traffic declines of 20% or more. Indian sites dominated the list of those hardest hit, with four out of five of the largest traffic drops coming from India-based news outlets.
The most dramatic decrease was seen by India.com, which suffered a staggering 78% drop in traffic, falling to 56.2 million visits. The Hindustan Times followed with a 54% decline to 138.7 million visits. Buzzfeed also faced a significant decrease, down 46% to 60.5 million. Additionally, The Indian Express and India Today saw traffic fall by 40% and 34%, reaching 103.2 million and 71.2 million visits respectively.
Overall, 36 of the 50 leading news sites reported a decrease in traffic of 10% or more compared to May 2025, underscoring a broader trend of declining user engagement across a majority of major platforms.
Growth Leaders: Al Jazeera, Substack, and The Sun US
Despite widespread declines, a handful of news brands bucked the trend, recording notable traffic growth. Al Jazeera led the pack with a 69% year-on-year increase, attracting 210.8 million visits. The Qatar-based news channel’s continued rise reflects heightened global interest in Middle Eastern affairs, particularly following geopolitical events earlier in 2026. Substack, the popular newsletter platform, sustained its growth momentum with a 49% increase to 169.1 million visits in May. Substack has consistently ranked among the top performers in recent months, establishing itself as a significant player in digital news distribution.
The Sun US also experienced robust growth, rising 34% year-on-year to 30.4 million visits and achieving a 43% increase month-on-month. Launched in 2020, The Sun US has carved out a growing audience in the American market, although its UK counterpart saw a slight year-on-year dip of 7% to 54.6 million visits, offset by a modest 6% month-on-month increase. It is worth noting that Similarweb tracks The Sun’s US and UK websites separately.
Other sites posting month-on-month growth included The Hindu (up 20% to 68.1 million visits) and the Daily Express (up 16% to 41.8 million).
Context: Trends from Previous Months
The traffic patterns observed in May are consistent with trends from earlier in 2026. For instance, in April, only three sites saw month-on-month growth while 47 experienced declines. Indian news sites again struggled, with India.com and The Hindustan Times posting significant year-on-year drops of 66% and 50%, respectively.
Al Jazeera’s traffic surged dramatically in March with a nearly 400% year-on-year increase, reaching 210.8 million visits, a spike attributed to increased global attention on Middle East tensions following US and Israel strikes on Iran in late February.
Substack and NDTV also recorded notable traffic gains throughout the first half of the year, with NDTV being the only Indian site to consistently grow both year on year and month on month in April.
February and January data similarly showed Al Jazeera and Substack as the biggest year-on-year growth leaders, while Indian news brands like India.com and Hindustan Times, along with US site Newsweek, faced some of the largest declines.
Implications for the Digital News Industry
This data underscores the shifting dynamics of global digital news consumption. While geopolitical events have amplified traffic to certain international news providers like Al Jazeera, other traditional and regional players, particularly in India, are experiencing significant challenges in maintaining audience engagement.
The growth of newsletter platforms such as Substack reflects changing consumer preferences toward personalized, subscription-based news content. Meanwhile, established sites continue to grapple with audience fragmentation, competitive pressures, and evolving digital consumption habits.
As the digital news media sector continues to evolve, these traffic trends signal the importance for news organizations to adapt their strategies to retain and attract diverse global audiences.
About the Data
Press Gazette’s monthly top 50 ranking of English-language news websites is based on Similarweb’s global web traffic data. The rankings consider unique visits to news websites, excluding some aggregators, and adjusting for regional domain redirects, as exemplified by the BBC’s complex web presence.
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