ICT
Facts &
Figures
The world in 2015
“This year governments are making their final assessment of the UN Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), which global leaders agreed upon in the year 2000. Over the past 15 years
the ICT revolution has driven global development in an unprecedented way. Technological
progress, infrastructure deployment, and falling prices have brought unexpected growth in ICT
access and connectivity to billions of people around the world. In 2015 there are more than 7
billion mobile cellular subscriptions worldwide, up from less than 1 billion in 2000. Globally 3.2
billion people are using the Internet of which 2 billion are from developing countries. ICTs will
play an even more significant role in the post 2015 development agenda and in achieving future
sustainable development goals as the world moves faster and faster towards a digital society.
Our mission is to connect everyone and to create a truly inclusive information society, for which
we need comparable and high-quality data and statistics to measure progress.”
Brahima Sanou, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau
MDGs 2000-2015: ICT revolution and remaining gaps
2000
2015*
400 MILLION INTERNET USERS
3.2 BILLION INTERNET USERS
Developed countries
Developed countries
Developing countries
100 million people
(rounded values)
• Globally 3.2 billion
people are using the
Internet by end 2015, of
which 2 billion are from
developing countries
LDCs
Online
Developing countries
Source: ITU.
Note: * Estimates.
Offline
• For every Internet
user in the developed
world there are 2 in the
developing world
LDCs
• However, 4 billion
people from developing
countries remain offline,
representing 2/3 of the
population residing in
developing countries
• Of the 940 million
people living in the least
developed countries
(LDCs), only 89 million
use the Internet,
corresponding to a 9.5%
penetration rate
15 years of ICT growth: what has been achieved?
100
96.8
95.3
90
Per 100 inhabitants/households
30
70
60
47.2
46.4
43.4
50
40
30
20
10.8
10
Source: ITU.
Note: * Estimates.
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014 2015*
Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions
Individuals using the Internet
Population covered by 2G mobile-cellular network
Mobile broadband subscriptions
Fixed-broadband subscriptions
Households with Internet
• By end 2015, there are more
than 7 billion mobile cellular
subscriptions, corresponding
to a penetration rate of 97%,
up from 738 million in 2000
• Between 2000-2015, global
Internet penetration grew 7
fold from 6.5% to 43%
• Mobile broadband is the
most dynamic market
segment; globally, mobilebroadband penetration
reaches 47% in 2015, a value
that increased 12 times
since 2007
• The proportion of households
with Internet access at home
increased from 18% in 2005
to 46% in 2015
• Fixed-broadband uptake is
growing at a slower pace,
with a 7% annual increase
over the past three years and
reaching 11% penetration by
end 2015
• The proportion of the
population covered by a 2G
mobile-cellular network grew
from 58% in 2001 to 95%
in 2015
3G mobile-broadband coverage is extending rapidly and into the rural areas
2011
3G
population
coverage,
45%
World population 7 billion
Source: ITU.
Note: * Estimates.
2015*
3G
population
coverage,
69%
World population 7.4 billion
No 3G population coverage
3G population coverage
2015*
3G rural
population
coverage,
29%
World rural population 3.4 billion
3G urban
population
coverage,
89%
World urban population 4 billion
The digital divide in 2015*
Percentage of households with Internet access
%
82.1
• By end 2015, 34% of
households in developing
countries have Internet
access, compared
with more than 80% in
developed countries
81.3
60.1
60.0
40.3
46.4
39.0
34.1
Cs
g
op
LD
in
ld
el
el
W
op
or
ed
a
ric
ev
D
D
&
a
A
si
A
6.7
ev
Pa
St
b
ra
A
e
Th
Af
ci
at
fic
es
S
CI
†
m
Eu
er
ro
ic
pe
as
10.7
• In least developed
countries (LDCs), only
7% of households
have Internet access,
compared with the world
average of 46%
Percentage of individuals using the Internet
• Internet penetration in
developing countries
stands at 35%; LDCs lag
behind with only 10%
82.2
59.9
43.4
Cs
LD
g
in
op
W
op
ev
D
a
D
&
ev
el
or
ed
ld
9.5
• In Africa, one in 5 people
use the Internet today,
compared to almost 2 in
5 people in Asia & Pacific,
and 3 in 5 people in
the CIS
A
si
A
35.3
20.7
a
fic
Pa
ci
at
St
b
ra
A
e
Th
36.9
es
S
CI
†
m
Eu
er
ro
ic
pe
as
37.0
el
66.0
ric
77.6
Af
%
86.7
77.6
49.7
46.1
42.3
40.6
39.1
in
g
ld
el
W
op
or
ed
op
el
ev
ev
D
D
a
• Africa is the only region
where mobile broadband
penetration remains
below 20%
A
si
A
12.1
a
ric
&
b
ra
A
e
Th
Af
St
Pa
ci
at
fic
es
S
CI
†
m
Eu
er
ro
ic
pe
as
17.4
Cs
78.2
• Mobile-broadband
penetration levels are
highest in Europe and
the Americas, at around
78 active subscriptions
per 100 inhabitants
LD
Per 100 inhabitants
Mobile broadband subscriptions
Fixed-broadband subscriptions
7.1
el
ev
D
Cs
0.5
LD
op
in
g
ld
or
op
el
ev
W
ed
a
D
&
a
si
ric
fic
Pa
ci
at
St
b
ra
10.8
0.5
Af
8.9
3.7
es
S
CI
A
Th
e
A
m
Eu
29.0
13.6
er
ro
ic
pe
as
18.0
A
29.6
†
Per 100 inhabitants
• Fixed-broadband
penetration remains at
less than 1% in LDCs
• Africa and the Arab
States stand out as
the regions with the
fewest fixed-broadband
subscriptions per 100
inhabitants, at less
than 1 and less than
4, respectively
Source: ITU.
Note: * Estimates.
† CIS Commonwealth
of Independent States.
Broadband now affordable in 111 countries
with mobile-broadband less expensive than fixed-broadband plans
Number of countries
Broadband Commission target (5% of GNI p.c.)
Postpaid
computer-based
mobile broadband
(1GB)
43
World
Developed
Developing
30.1
16.3
35.3
1
35
52.3
Postpaid
fixed-broadband
(1GB)
32
12
2-5
0-2
5-8
5
8-10
10
11
11
10-20
20-30
>30
22.5
74.5
0
• In 2014, in 111 countries
the price of a basic (fixed
or mobile) broadband plan
corresponds to less than
5% of average GNI per
capita, thus meeting
the Broadband
Commission target
20
40
60
80
2014 broadband prices in PPP$*
2014 broadband prices as a % of GNI p.c.†
• The global average
price of a basic fixedbroadband plan (52
PPP$) is 1.7 times higher
than the average price
of a comparable
mobile-broadband
plan (30 PPP$)
• In developing countries,
average monthly fixedbroadband prices (in
PPP$) are 3 times
higher than in developed
countries; mobilebroadband prices are
twice as expensive as in
developed countries
Source: ITU.
Note: † Either fixed broadband
or mobile broadband. *Based
on simple averages including
data for 160 economies.
Fixed broadband subscriptions:
developing countries lag behind as prices stagnate
Subscriptions
Prices
450
Per 100 inhabitants
30
29.0
25
20
15
10.8
10
7.1
5
0.5
350
300
250
200
150
Developed
• Fixed-broadband
uptake remains slow in
developing countries
and particularly in LDCs,
where penetration rates
are now at 7% and less
than 1%, respectively.
World
129.5
100
63.6
52.3
26.8
50
0
2008
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
20
13
20
1
20 4
15
*
01
400
02
20
20
20
00
0
2014 fixed-broadband prices in PPP$ †
35
Developing
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
LDCs
• While the prices of fixedbroadband plans dropped
sharply between 2008
and 2011, especially in
developing countries, they
have been stagnating
since then and even
increased slightly
in LDCs
Source: ITU.
Note: * Estimates.
†
Simple averages.
Differences in broadband speed persist
Korea (Rep.)
France
Iceland
Denmark
Andorra
Switzerland
United Kingdom*
Belgium
Japan
Sweden
Spain
Finland†
Portugal
Norway*†
United States*†
Hungary
Germany
Canada*†
Bulgaria
Singapore
Greece
Australia*†
Romania
Ireland
Austria
Slovenia
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Russian Federation
Poland**
Kazakhstan
Italy
Croatia
Chile
United Arab Emirates†
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Brazil
Bahrain
Belarus
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Colombia
Malaysia
Morocco
>10 Mbit/s
>2 to <10 Mbit/s
>256 kbit/s to <2Mbit/s
Qatar
Kyrgyzstan
Venezuela
Ecuador
Source: ITU.
Note: Refers to advertised
speeds. * Data correspond
to speed intervals slightly
different from the ones
defined by ITU.** Breakdown
by speed available only for
a part of the total fixedbroadband subscriptions.
† Data include terrestrial
fixed wireless broadband
and/or satellite-broadband
subscriptions.
Tunisia
Costa Rica
Oman
Egypt
Guyana
Namibia
Bolivia
Honduras
Zimbabwe
Senegal
Pakistan
Zambia
0.09
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed, early 2014 (selected countries)
45
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
13th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS), Hiroshima, Japan, 30 November to 2 December 2015,
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/events/wtis2015/registration.aspx
Measuring the Information Society Report 2014,
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/mis2014.aspx
Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals 2014,
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/manual2014.aspx
Final WSIS Targets Review: Achievements, Challenges and the Way Forward,
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wsistargets2014.aspx
Yearbook of Statistics 2014, http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/yb2014.aspx
Handbook for the Collection of Administrative Data on Telecommunications/ICT 2011,
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/handbook.aspx
ICT Data and Statistics Division
Telecommunication Development Bureau
International Telecommunication Union
Place des Nations
1211 Geneva 20 - Switzerland
[email protected]
www.itu.int/ict
Printed in Switzerland
Geneva, May 2015
© International Telecommunication Union