ICT Facts & FiguresThis 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

The world in 2015

MDGs 2000-2015: ICT revolution and remaining gaps

Source: ITU. Note: * Estimates.

Globally 3.2 billion people are using the Internet by end 2015, of which 2 billion are from developing countries

For every Internet user in the developed world there are 2 in the developing world

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

400 MILLION INTERNET USERS 3.2 BILLION INTERNET USERS

Developed countries Developed countries

Developing countries Developing countriesLDCs LDCs

Online Offline100 million people(rounded values)

2000 2015*

15 years of ICT growth: what has been achieved?

Source: ITU. Note: * Estimates.

Source: ITU. Note: * Estimates.

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, mobile- broadband 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 areas2011

3G population coverage,

45%

3G population coverage,

69%

2015* 2015*

World population 7 billion World population 7.4 billion

Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions Individuals using the Internet

Mobile broadband subscriptions Fixed-broadband subscriptions Households with Internet

Population covered by 2G mobile-cellular network

0

50

10

60

30

30

20

Per

10

0 in

habi

tant

s/ho

useh

olds

70

40

90

100

2000 2004 20112002 20092006 20132001 20082005 20122003 20102007 2014 2015*

96.8

47.246.443.4

10.8

No 3G population coverage3G population coverage

World rural population 3.4 billion

World urban population 4 billion

3G rural population coverage,

29%

3G urban population coverage,

89%

95.3

The digital divide in 2015*

Source: ITU. Note: * Estimates. CIS Commonwealth of Independent States.

By end 2015, 34% of households in developing countries have Internet access, compared with more than 80% in developed countries

In least developed countries (LDCs), only 7% of households have Internet access, compared with the world average of 46%

Internet penetration in developing countries stands at 35%; LDCs lag behind with only 10%

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

Mobile-broadband penetration levels are highest in Europe and the Americas, at around 78 active subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

Africa is the only region where mobile broadband penetration remains below 20%

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

Percentage of households with Internet access

Percentage of individuals using the Internet

Mobile broadband subscriptions

Fixed-broadband subscriptions

Per

10

0 in

habi

tant

sP

er 1

00

inha

bita

nts

78.2

29.6

86.7

29.0

77.6

18.0

40.6

3.7

46.1

10.8

42.3

8.9

39.1

7.1

17.4 12.1

0.5

49.7

13.6

Euro

pe

Euro

pe

Asia

& Pa

cific

Asia

& Pa

cific

CIS

CIS

Deve

loped

Deve

loped

Deve

loping

Deve

loping

The A

mer

icas

The A

mer

icas

Afric

a

Afric

a

Arab

Sta

tes

Arab

Sta

tes

Wor

ld

Wor

ld

%82.1 81.3

60.040.3 46.439.0 34.1

10.7 6.7

60.1

Euro

pe

Asia

& Pa

cific

CIS

Deve

loped

Deve

loping

The A

mer

icas

Afric

a

Arab

Sta

tes

Wor

ldLD

Cs

%77.6 82.2

66.0

37.0 43.436.9 35.320.7

9.5

59.9

Euro

pe

Asia

& Pa

cific

CIS

Deve

loped

Deve

loping

The A

mer

icas

Afric

a

Arab

Sta

tes

Wor

ldLD

Cs

LDCs

LDCs

0.5

43

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

The global average price of a basic fixed-broadband 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 fixed-broadband prices (in PPP$) are 3 times higher than in developed countries; mobile-broadband prices are twice as expensive as in developed countries

Fixed-broadband uptake remains slow in developing countries and particularly in LDCs, where penetration rates are now at 7% and less than 1%, respectively.

While the prices of fixed-broadband plans dropped sharply between 2008 and 2011, especially in developing countries, they have been stagnating since then and even increased slightly in LDCs

Broadband now affordable in 111 countries with mobile-broadband less expensive than fixed-broadband plans

Fixed broadband subscriptions: developing countries lag behind as prices stagnate

Broadband Commission target (5% of GNI p.c.)

0-2

Num

ber

of c

ount

ries

2-5

1

8-10

2014 broadband prices as a % of GNI p.c.5-8 10-20 20-30 >30

Source: ITU. Note: Either fixed broadband

or mobile broadband. *Based on simple averages including

data for 160 economies.

Source: ITU. Note: * Estimates.Simple averages.

35 32

10 11 1112 5

30.1

52.3

16.3

22.5

35.3

74.5

Postpaid computer-based

mobile broadband (1GB)

Postpaid fixed-broadband

(1GB)

0 20 40 60 80

WorldDevelopedDeveloping

2014 broadband prices in PPP$*

50

100

150

200

250

400

300

450

350

0

129.5

63.652.326.8

2008

2014

fixe

d-b

road

band

pric

es in

PP

P$

20112010 2013 20142009 2012

Developed DevelopingWorld LDCs

0

5

15

25

10

20

30 29.0

10.8

7.1

0.5

35

Per

10

0 in

habi

tant

s

2000

2005

2011

2001

2006

2012

2002

2007

2013

2003

2008

2014

2004

2010

2009

2015

*

PricesSubscriptions

Differences in broadband speed persist

Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed, early 2014 (selected countries)

5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 450

Korea (Rep.)

France

Ireland

Denmark

Andorra

Switzerland

United Kingdom*

Belgium

Japan

Sweden

Spain

Finland

Portugal

Norway*

United States*

Hungary

Germany

Canada*

Bulgaria

Singapore

Greece

Romania

Austria

Czech Republic

Russian Federation

Kazakhstan

United Arab Emirates

Brazil

Azerbaijan

Colombia

Australia*

Ireland

Slovenia

Slovakia

Poland**

Croatia

Chile

Serbia

Belarus

Italy

Saudi Arabia

Bahrain

Armenia

Malaysia

Morocco

Kyrgyztan

Qatar

Venezuala

Tunisia

Egypt

Bolivia

Zimbabwe

Ecuador

Oman

Namibia

Guyana

Costa Rica

Honduras

Pakistan

Senegal

0.09Zambia

>256 kbit/s to 2 to 10 Mbit/s

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 fixed-broadband subscriptions. Data include terrestrial fixed wireless broadband and/or satellite-broadband subscriptions.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

ICT Data and Statistics DivisionTelecommunication Development BureauInternational Telecommunication Union

Place des Nations1211 Geneva 20 - Switzerland

indicators@itu.intwww.itu.int/ict

Printed in Switzerland

Geneva, May 2015

International Telecommunication Union