42% Drop in fixed broadband prices worldwide from 2008 to 2009
Northern Europe tops the ICT Development Index
The ITU’s ICT Development Index (IDI) ranks 159 countries according to their ICT level, combining 11 indicators into a single measure that can be used as a benchmarking tool.
- In the most recent rankings, 8 of the top 10 countries in the IDI are in Northern Europe. The other 2 are in Asia and the Pacific.
- The top 5 countries in Asia and the Pacific are all in the global top 15.
- The top 5 countries in the Americas are all in the global top 50.
- In Africa, only the Seychelles, Mauritius and South Africa are in the global top 100.
Broadband still too expensive – but getting cheaper
Those who can least afford access to broadband pay the most – both in absolute and relative terms.
- A fixed broadband subscription costs under US$ 10 a month in Macao (China) and Israel. But in over 20 economies worldwide – most of them UN-designated Least Developed Countries – it costs over US$ 100 a month.
- Broadband subscriptions cost less than 1% of average monthly income in the 21 countries with most affordable broadband measured by ITU.
- In the 28 countries with least affordable broadband in ITU’s list, a monthly broadband subscription costs over 100% of average monthly income.
- But broadband access is becoming much less expensive, worldwide – , broadband prices dropped by 42% between 2008 and 2009.
- Other ICT services are getting cheaper, too, with the relative price for mobile cellular dropping 25% from 2008 to 2009, and for fixed telephone services 20%.
Data and analysis in this ITU Statshot are drawn from ‘Measuring the Information Society 2010’, which is available to download at:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2010/index.htm
Further ICT statistics are available online at ITU’s ICT Eye, at:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/icteye/Default.aspx
ITU also publishes a full range of current statistics and analyses. For further information see:
http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications