Although there has been steady progress in expanding digital connectivity globally, the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU’s) ‘Facts and Figures 2025’ report reveals continued gaps in quality and affordability.

An estimated six-billion people globally – about 74% of the world’s population – used the Internet in 2025, up from 5.8-billion, or 71%, in 2024, representing a slight acceleration in growth to 3.3%, up from 2.9% in the prior year.

However, 2.2-billion people still remain offline, a decrease from 2.3-billion in 2024, with only 23% of the population of low- income countries using the Internet, compared with near universal Internet use in high- income countries, where 94% of the population uses the Internet.

“This report highlights how today’s digital divides are being defined by speed, reliability, affordability and skills, all of which we must prioritise as we work toward our mission of universal connectivity,” says ITU secretary-general Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

In addition to digital skills, the ‘Facts and Figures 2025’ report highlights that affordability remains essential to achieving universal and meaningful connectivity, which will be reached when everyone can access the Internet with high-quality service, at an affordable cost, whenever and wherever needed.

According to the ITU, over four in five people worldwide own a mobile phone.

Universal ownership – equating to a penetration rate of over 95% – has been reached in high-income economies, while upper- middle-income economies have surpassed the 90% mark.

In contrast, only 53% of the population, aged ten and above, in low-income economies own a mobile phone.

Although 66% of the population in Africa own a mobile phone, only 36% are online, a difference of 30 percentage points.

“However, the gap is shrinking in all regions, as growth in Internet use continues to outpace growth in mobile phone ownership.

“Mobile phones are the most common gateway to the Internet, so the prevalence of mobile phone ownership can provide an indication of Internet penetration,” the report points out.

A typical user in a high-income country now generates nearly eight times more mobile data than one in a low-income country.

While the median price of a data-only mobile broadband basket decreased globally, access remains unaffordable in about 60% of low- and middle-income countries.

Mobile Broadband

The ‘Facts and Figures 2025’ report estimates that there were 9.2-billion mobile cellular subscriptions in 2025, equating to 112 subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants.

In high-income countries, this level rises to 142 mobile cellular subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants, which is twice the level in low-income countries, where there are 70 mobile cellular subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants.

The reports notes that, in Africa, there were just 92 subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants.

Meanwhile, in 2025, there were 99 mobile broadband subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants, which accounted for 89% of all mobile subscriptions, up from less than 50% of mobile subscriptions in 2015.

This shift reflects changing user behaviour, with demand increasingly shaped by data-based services and the gradual phase-out of voice-only plans, the report highlights.

However, not everyone had a mobile broadband subscription, with many individuals holding multiple subscriptions, and some subscriptions belonging to connected devices rather than individuals.

Further, regional disparities remain significant.

In the Americas, there are 132 mobile broadband subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants, compared with 56 mobile broadband subscriptions for every 100 inhabitants in Africa.

Meanwhile, while 5G networks are now estimated to cover 55% of the world’s population, coverage remains uneven, with 84% of people in high-income countries having access to 5G, compared with only 4% in low-income countries.

While 5G deployment is still ongoing in many regions, 4G remains a reliable connectivity solution, currently available to 93% of the world’s population.

However, in low-income countries, 4G coverage drops, with only 56% of the population covered. In these areas, 3G continues to play a vital role for Internet access.

Almost half of the global population that remain without access to a mobile broadband network are in Africa.

In Africa, 12% of the population is covered by 5G, 63% by 4G and 14% by 3G.