Chapter 2: Assessing progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity

This chapter assesses global progress toward Universal and Meaningful Connectivity (UMC) by leveraging the UMC framework and updated data against the 2030 aspirational targets.

Assessment of progress toward the UMC targets for 2030

Notes:
n.a. = not available (global situation cannot be assessed due to limited data coverage). a: Among economies for which data is available. x/y means that in x out of y economies for which data is available the target has been achieved (see text for details). Data are either for 2025 (for global aggregates), 2024 (for country-level data), or the latest year available in the last four years. For overall Internet use, mobile network coverage and mobile phone ownership, data include ITU estimates. Economies considered are the 194 ITU Member States; Hong Kong, China; Macao, China; and the State of Palestine.^[1]
b: For the global indicator: Percentage of population aged 5 and above instead of Percentage of population aged 15 and above. For country-level data the age cut-off depends on the national surveys.
c: Not available for lack of a harmonised data source for the number households.
d: Number of economies where coverage of 4G has not reached 40 per cent of the population.
e: Number of economies where coverage of 5G has not reached 40 per cent of the population.
f: For the global indicator: Percentage of population aged 10 and above instead of Percentage of population aged 15 and above. For country-level data the age cut-off depends on the national surveys.
g: Ratio between the proportions of women and men for a given indicator. Values below 1 indicate higher male proportions; values above 1 indicate higher female proportions.

Sources: ITU; UNCTAD (retrieved July 2025); UNESCO-UIS database (retrieved July 2025).

^[1] 1 The State of Palestine is not an ITU Member State; the status of the State of Palestine in ITU is the subject of Resolution 99 (Rev. Dubai, 2018) of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference.

As of 2025, an estimated 74 per cent of individuals use the Internet globally, reflecting one of the fastest technology adoptions in history. However, the pace of progress is slowing, and regional differences remain stark: Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are nearing the 95 per cent universality target, while Internet use in Africa stands at just over one in three. For those who are online, frequency is high, with the Internet having become a routine part of daily life for most users.

There are persistent connectivity divides that reflect broader socioeconomic inequalities. The income divide is paramount, showing a clear positive correlation between a country’s GDP per capita and its Internet adoption rate; most low-income countries remain below 50 per cent penetration.

Percentage of the population using the Internet, 2024 or latest year available

Note: The designations employed and the presentation of material on the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of ITU and of the secretariat of ITU concerning the legal status of the country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The base map is the UNmap database of the United Nations Cartographic Section. Includes ITU estimates.
Sources: ITU

The gender divide persists, with a global parity score, i.e. the ratio between the proportions of women and men using the Internet, of 0.92, though progress has stalled. The gap is most significant in low- and lower-middle-income countries, especially in Africa and South Asia, where women are far less likely to be online. At the same time, some regions and groups – such as small island developing States (SIDS) – have achieved gender parity.

The age divide shows 82 per cent of youth (15-24) use the Internet, compared to 72 per cent of the rest of the population, though this gap has slowly narrowed and has been almost closed in the CIS and in Europe. Older adults, particularly those aged 75 and above, are the least connected.

The urban-rural divide is substantial: 85 per cent of urban residents use the Internet compared to 58 per cent of rural residents globally. In low-income countries, only 14 per cent of rural residents are online, about one-third of the urban rate. By contrast, the divide has narrowed markedly in the CIS and Europe regions, where it is below 10 percentage points.

Percentage of individuals using the Internet in urban and rural areas, latest year data available

Note: Includes countries with data from 2022 or later.
Source: ITU

The education divide is also strong. Nearly all individuals with tertiary education use the Internet, while the gap between the most and least educated can exceed 60 percentage points in some countries. Similarly, participation in the labour force and engagement in non-manual professions correlate positively with higher Internet use.

Analysis of barriers to adoption shows that the three most consistently cited reasons for not using the Internet are the lack of need, lack of skills, and high cost of service. Device affordability remains a hurdle, cited as the main reason for lacking a mobile phone by 68 per cent of adults in low-income countries in 2024 in the World Bank Global Findex Database.

Strengthening the six UMC enablers is necessary to overcome these barriers. In terms of availability and quality, mobile networks are the primary mode of access. As of 2025, 5G coverage reaches 55 per cent of the global population, but its expansion is uneven, lagging significantly (8-13 per cent coverage) in many regions outside of Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas. Fixed broadband penetration has doubled over the past decade, with 96 per cent of connections offering speeds above 10 Mbit/s. Global average download speeds reached 92 Mbit/s for mobile and 118 Mbit/s for fixed broadband in early 2025, but low-income economies experience speeds only 20-30 per cent of those found in high-income economies.

Regarding affordability, entry-level mobile broadband prices closely follow income levels, with low-income countries facing the highest costs relative to income. Encouragingly, affordability improved between 2022 and 2025.
For Devices, 82 per cent of individuals aged 10 or older own a mobile phone globally, but ownership drops to just over half in low-income economies. Mobile phones are the dominant access device, but computer access remains limited in most developing countries.

In the skills dimension, data is limited in availability, but indicates that communication and collaboration skills are the most common among Internet users. However, there is a wide range in overall basic skills proficiency among users across countries.

Finally, for safety and security, the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) average score rose to 66 out of 100 in 2024, reflecting strengthened national commitments, although data on the prevalence and cost of cybercrime remain limited. Progress across all six enablers will determine the speed of the journey toward UMC.