Reliable and timely data is essential for effective policy-making. Yet significant gaps in ICT statistics persist, limiting policy-makers’ ability to identify needs, monitor progress and design effective interventions. These gaps also constrain ITU’s ability to provide a comprehensive and accurate picture of digital connectivity worldwide.
The data used in Facts and Figures is collected by ITU from countries through three questionnaires, supplemented by desk research: the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Questionnaire (WTI questionnaire), covering administrative data, including on the three indicators covered in this publication – subscriptions, mobile network coverage and Internet traffic; the ICT Price Basket Questionnaire (IPB questionnaire), covering affordability statistics; and the Questionnaire on ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals (household questionnaire), covering Internet use, digital skills and mobile phone ownership, among others.
Data availability varies considerably across indicators. Between 80 and 91 per cent of economies have provided official data for 2023 or later on each of the three mentioned areas covered by the WTI questionnaire. For affordability indicators, ITU publishes a nearly complete dataset. In this case, questionnaire responses are complemented and validated through desk research by information publicly available on operator websites. In contrast, household survey data is much less widely available. Fewer than half of economies have reported data on Internet use (48 per cent), while coverage is even lower for digital skills (37 per cent) and mobile phone ownership (28 per cent).
This contrast largely reflects the greater cost and complexity of household surveys compared with the routine collection of administrative and price data. Where survey data is unavailable, estimates are needed, which introduce uncertainty into the assessment of digital divides.
Despite these challenges, available data from household surveys provide valuable insights into digital inclusion by capturing the socio-economic characteristics of respondents. Of the economies reporting survey data, approximately 90 per cent provided a breakdown by gender, 78 per cent by age and 73 per cent by urban or rural location. The insights gained from these data justify continued investment in regular household surveys.