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The ITU ICT SDG indicators

The Global SDG Indicator Framework includes 7 ICT indicators covering 6 targets under Goals 4, 5, 9, and 17. The following five indicators are under the responsibility of ITU (data also available at the DataHub):

Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with ICT skills, by type of skills

Great disparities in Internet users’ skillsets; strongest skills are in communication

Because self-reporting of individuals’ ICT skills may be subjective, ICT skills are measured based on whether an individual has recently performed certain activities that presuppose a degree of proficiency in the relevant skills. These are grouped into five areas: information and data literacy; communication and collaboration; digital content creation; safety; and problem solving.

While the importance of digital skills in leveraging ICTs for economic prosperity and social well-being is well-documented, data remain very scant. Only 90 countries have submitted data since 2020, and rarely for all skill areas. Even fewer – just 40 countries – provide comparable data on ICT skill levels (see here for details on the methodology for calculating ICT skill levels).

Despite these gaps, certain trends in ICT skills are emerging. Communication and collaboration skills are the most prevalent, with 83% of Internet users reporting at least basic skills in this area. Information and data literacy is the second most prevalent skill area (76% of Internet users with at least basic skills), followed by problem solving (70%), digital content creation (60%) and safety (57%).

Percentage of Internet users with ICT skills, by skill level, 2024 or latest year available

Average of country values, based on most recent data in 2021-2024 period

Note: Data availability by skill level:
Information and data literacy: 37 countries
Communication and collaboration: 39 countries
Digital content creation: 41 countries
Safety: 24 countries
Problem solving: 41 countries
Source: ITU

The relatively low level of skills in countries providing data contrasts with their high median share of overall Internet use, 90%. This gap between individuals using the Internet and those with digital skills demonstrates that many may be using the Internet without being able to fully benefit from it or avoid its dangers.

Indicator 4.4.1 is the global indicator for SDG Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

The data can be found in the ITU DataHub and in the UN SDG Indicators Database. The metadata are also available on the UN website. For more SDG analysis, visit the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.

Indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

Worldwide, four out of five people own a mobile phone, but women are about 7 per cent less likely to own one than men

Globally, four out of five individuals 10 years or older owned a mobile phone in 2024. Universal ownership, meaning a penetration rate of over 95 per cent, has been reached in the SDG regions Australia and New Zealand, and Europe and Northern America. On the other end of the spectrum, in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) only 55% of the population owned a mobile phone. In Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia this figure stood at around two-thirds of the population, while in the other regions it was between 84% and 87%.

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile phone, by sex, 2024

Note: Population aged 10 and over.

Source: ITU

Looking at the breakdown by sex, 77 per cent of females and 82 per cent of males owned a mobile phone, giving a gender parity score (GPS) (defined as the percentage of women owning a mobile phone divided by the number of men owning one) of 0.93, i.e. skewed against women. Gender parity (defined as a GPS between 0.98 and 1.02) has been reached in Australia and New Zealand; Europe and Northern America; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. The lowest GPS were recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (0.80) and Central and Southern Asia (0.82). The situation was also dire in Least Developed Countries (0.77) and Landlocked Developing Countries (0.82).

GPS and Internet penetration rates tend to be correlated. Small island developing States, where two thirds of the population used the Internet in 2024, are an exception. Although SIDS are 25 percentage points below the most connected country groups, they have achieved gender parity in Internet use (GPS of 1.00) and have almost reached gender parity in mobile phone ownership (GPS of 0.97).

Progress on gender parity in mobile phone ownership has been uneven in the past three years. Globally, women are about 7% less likely to own a mobile phone than men – down from 9.4% in 2021. Among those not owning mobile phones, women outnumber men by 31%.

Indicator 5.b.1 is the global indicator for SDG Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

The data can be found in the ITUDataHub and in the UN SDG Indicators Database. The metadata are also available on the UN website. For more SDG analysis, visit the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.

Indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

More than half of the world’s population now covered by 5G

Since commercial deployment began in 2019, 5G coverage has increased to reach 51 per cent of the world population in 2024. However, the distribution is very uneven: 84 per cent of people in high-income countries are covered, but only 4 per cent in low-income countries.

Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

Note: The values for 2G, 3G and 4G networks show the incremental percentage of the population that is not covered by a more advanced technology network (e.g. in 2024, 96 per cent of the world population is covered by at least a 3G or above network, that is 4 per cent + 41 per cent + 51 per cent). There are insufficient data to produce estimates for 5G coverage prior to 2020.

Source: ITU

At the regional level, Australia and New Zealand boast the highest 5G coverage, at 92 per cent of the population, followed by Eastern and South-Eastern Asia; and Europe and Northern America (both regions at 77 per cent). Coverage is very low in Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand (1 per cent), Sub-Saharan Africa (11 per cent) and Northern Africa and Western Asia (13 per cent).

Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, 2024

Note: The values for 2G, 3G and 4G networks show the incremental percentage of the population that is not covered by a more advanced technology network (e.g. 92 per cent of the SIDS population is covered by at least a 2G or above network, that is 27 per cent + 43 per cent + 15 per cent + 7 per cent).

Source: ITU

Where 5G is not available yet, 4G remains a very good alternative, available to 92 per cent of the world population. In low-income countries, however, 4G only reaches about half the population (52 per cent), and 3G remains an important technology for connecting to the Internet.

3G or better is now available to 96 per cent of the world population. Bridging the “coverage gap”, that is, covering the remaining four per cent that lie beyond the reach of a mobile broadband signal, is proving difficult: since crossing the 90 per cent threshold in 2018, global 3G coverage has increased by only five percentage points. The largest coverage gap is in Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand, where 24 per cent of the population still does not have access to a mobile broadband network and therefore cannot access the Internet.

LDCs and LLDCs, having 15 and 14 per cent of their population, respectively, beyond the reach of mobile broadband, are falling short of target 9.c of Sustainable Development Goal 9: to “significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.”

Indicator 9.c.1 is the global indicator for SDG Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

The data can be found in the ITUDataHub and in the UN SDG Indicators Database. The metadata are also available on the UN website. For more SDG analysis, visit the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025.

Indicator 17.6.1: Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

Fixed-broadband subscriptions continue to grow steadily, but with a wide disparity between low- and high-income countries

Fixed-broadband subscriptions continue to grow steadily, at an average annual growth rate averaging 6.3 per cent between 2015 and 2024, reaching 20 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2024 globally.

Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2024

Source: ITU

Penetration rates for fixed subscriptions are much lower than for mobile subscriptions, because fixed connections are usually shared by several people in a household. Nonetheless, the inequalities in access to fixed connections across countries are far higher than for mobile connectivity. While fixed connections are common among households in upper-middle-income and high-income countries, they are nearly non-existent in low-income countries, due to high prices and a lack of infrastructure. In Europe and Northern America, Australia and New Zealand and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, there were 36 to 38 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. This stands in sharp contrast with Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), where there were less than 5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

Indicator 17.6.1 is the global indicator for SDG 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

Indicator 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet

Internet use continues to grow, but universal connectivity remains a distant prospect

In 2024, 5.5 billion people were online, representing 68 per cent of the world population, compared with 65 per cent just one year earlier. This means that 2.6 billion people, one-third of the global population, were still offline. Although Internet penetration has grown from 40% in 2015 to 68% in 2024, equal to an annual average growth rate of 6.1%, universal usage (defined as an Internet penetration rate of 95%, taking into account that some people may never want to connect) remains a distant prospect.

Proportion of individuals using the Internet, 2024 (%)

Source: ITU

Internet use remains tightly linked to the level development. In Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America, universal usage has been reached or almost reached. Four out of five people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia were using the Internet, while this was true for three out of four in Northern Africa and Western Asia. In Central and Southern Asia, only just over half of all people were online, while Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) were lagging even further behind at 37% and 33% respectively.

Universal connectivity also remains a distant prospect in least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), where only 35% and 39% of the population were online, respectively. In the Small Island developing states (SIDS), finally, almost two thirds of the population was online, in line with the global average.

Globally, 70 per cent of men were using the Internet, compared with 65 per cent of women. This means there were 189 million more men than women using the Internet in 2024. This difference has been decreasing since 2021, when it stood at 277 million.

Gender parity is deemed to be achieved when the gender parity score, defined as the female percentage divided by the male percentage, is between 0.98 and 1.02. Like overall Internet use, gender parity is closely correlated with the level of development. In recent years, the world has been moving gradually towards gender parity, with the gender parity score increasing from 0.91 in 2019 to 0.94 in 2024. The improvement is also reflected at the level of regions and country groups, with a notable exception: in the group of LDCs, gender parity has actually decreased, from 0.74 in 2019 to 0.70 in 2024. In the SIDS group, the gender parity score also decreased slightly: from a figure slightly above one, indicating that more women than men were using the Internet, it dropped to exactly one in 2024, indicating perfect gender parity. The SIDS are also a notable, positive exception to the strong correlation between gender parity and overall Internet use: they have achieved gender parity even though slightly less than two-thirds of the population use the Internet.

Indicator 17.8.1 is the global indicator for SDG 17.8: Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology.


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