Page 17 - Measuring digital development The affordability of ICT services 2024

The affordability of ICT services

As mentioned above, income status is a better and in many regions where economies belong
predictor of performance: affordability gaps for to the upper-middle- or high-income groups,
this basket are far larger across income groups the difference between the baskets was very
than across regions, which include countries low. However, in lower-middle-income, and
from different income groups. In high-income especially in low-income economies, the gap
economies, the basket price amounted to 0.4 was substantial. In low-income economies,
per cent of GNI per capita. This is almost 20 even a 1 GB basket amounted to 5.5 per
times more affordable than in low-income cent of GNI per capita, a 5 GB basket to 12.3
economies (7.4 per cent), although the gap per cent and a 10 GB basket to 20.4 per cent.
between the two groups shrank by more than Considering that actual mobile data use in
half between 2018 and 2024. The median these economies averaged around 2 GB per
price in Europe (0.3 per cent), home to most month per subscription, the lack of affordability
high-income economies, was 12 times more is clearly a barrier to universal and meaningful
affordable than in Africa (4.2 per cent), home connectivity.
to a majority of low-income economies. Half
of LLDCs and nearly half of SIDS met the 2 Figure 8: Data-only mobile-broadband
per cent target in 2024, whereas the cost still basket prices by country groups and
amounted to 4.6 per cent of income in LDCs. minimum data allowance, as a percentage
of GNI per capita
In a data-hungry world, 2 GB of data is
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becoming insufficient for most online
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activities. In 2024, average monthly data use
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per subscription amounted to over 13 GB 10GB
10 5GB
worldwide. In addition to the 2 GB basket,
5
5 2GB
as part of desk research using the same 1GB
0
methodology, ITU collected prices for different Africa CIS Europe World LDCs LLDCs SIDS Low High 2% target
minimum allowance thresholds: 1 GB, 5 GB Americas Arab States Asia-Pacific Lower-middle Upper-middle
and 10 GB. This provided further insights
into the affordability of “meaningful” mobile- Income
broadband connectivity. As shown in Figure 8, Note: Medians based on the 205 economies for which
6
the global median price of a 10 GB and a 5 GB data were available for 2024�
data-only basket, at 1.8 and 1.5 per cent of GNI Source: ITU
per capita, are well below the 2 per cent target,

5 See ITU (2024), Measuring digital development:
Facts and Figures 2024.
6 From 2025, the benchmark data-only basket
in ITU’s data collection will be the 5 GB basket,
following the adoption of the new methodology
by EGTI in 2024. A new, detailed ICT Price Basket
Manual 2025 serves as the reference for future data
collection.

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