I am pleased to present the 2025 edition of Facts and Figures, ITU’s annual reference publication on the state of global digital connectivity.
More than 96 per cent of the global population is covered by a mobile broadband network, bringing us closer to universal access. Yet, many low-income countries still rely primarily on 3G, limiting what users can do online. For the first time, we estimated the number of 5G subscriptions; they now account for one-third of all mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide. But deployment remains concentrated in high-income countries, underscoring the need to ensure that advances in connectivity benefit all countries, not only those already ahead.
At the same time, this year’s data shows that almost three-quarters of the world’s population are now online. Progress continues across all regions and income groups, but it is slowing. The remaining quarter of people – about 2.2 billion individuals – remain offline, most of them in low and middle income countries.
Internet access keeps getting cheaper, yet only around two-thirds of economies have reached a level that is considered affordable. In low- and middle-income countries, Internet services remain unaffordable in about 60 per cent of economies, preventing many from coming online or limiting their ability to fully participate in – and benefit from – the digital economy. These affordability constraints, together with quality gaps, shape who gets online and how fully they can participate.
Against this backdrop, inclusion trends are mixed. Encouragingly, the gaps between urban and rural communities and between younger and older generations are narrowing. Moreover, three regions, as well as the group of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), have achieved gender parity in Internet use. In other regions, however, too little progress has been made in closing the gender gap.
I thank all Member States and partners for their continued cooperation in providing data, and I encourage renewed investment in national statistical capacity.
Reliable, comparable and timely data are the foundation of effective digital policies and of our shared vision to connect the world. Achieving that vision will require sustained and well-targeted efforts – in infrastructure, in digital skills, and in data systems. By working together and directing resources where the needs are greatest, we can ensure that no one is left behind and that everyone benefits fully and safely from the opportunities of the digital age.
Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava
Director
ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau