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Statistics and Indicators

Measuring digital development - Facts and Figures
2024  

This special edition of ITU's flagship Facts and Figures series coincides with the third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries. This landmark event presents a once-in-a-decade opportunity to craft innovative solutions that can unlock the full potential of these nations. Digital technology provides LLDCs with pathways to overcome physical barriers, facilitating access to education, healthcare, and trade. It serves as a catalyst for resilience, empowering these countries to effectively respond to crises and to engage more fully in the global economy. Therefore, it must be a priority on the development agenda for any nation. In this context, Facts and Figures delivers a comprehensive analysis of digital progress in LLDCs, presenting crucial ICT statistics to guide stakeholders toward achieving universal and meaningful connectivity.
Available inelectronic file  
Other editions:   2024   2024   2024   2023   2023   2023   2022   2021   2020   2019  
 
Global Connectivity Report
no image available2022  

In the last 30 years, the number of Internet users surged from a few million to almost five billion. Yet the potential remains untapped because one-third of humanity remains offline, and many users only enjoy basic connectivity. The Global Connectivity Report 2022, released 6 June 2022, provides a detailed assessment of the current state of connectivity and presents solutions to meet this new imperative.
Available inelectronic file  
 
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database online

Related links
2023  

ITU discontinued the World ICT/Telecommunication Indicators Database (WTID), all the data collected by the ICT Data and Analytics Division are now disseminated for free at the ITU DataHub, subject to the Disclaimer and Terms of Use.

Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2022   2021   23rd Edition, 2019  
 
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database USB Key

Related links
2023   Publication Notice with Order Form

The World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database on USB Key and online contains time series data for the years 1960, 1965, 1970 and annually from 1975 to 2022 for more than 180 telecommunication/ICT statistics covering fixed-telephone networks, mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions, quality of service, Internet (including fixed- and mobile-broadband subscription data), traffic, staff, prices, revenue, investment and statistics on ICT access and use by households and individuals. Selected demographic, macroeconomic and broadcasting statistics are also included. For the July release, data for 2022 are available for selected indicators such as fixed-telephone subscriptions, mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions, mobile-broadband subscriptions, percentage of population covered by mobile networks, international Internet bandwidth, fixed-broadband subscriptions (total and by speed tiers), ICT prices, percentage of individuals using the Internet, percentage of households with computer and percentage of households with Internet. Data for over 200 economies are available.

As per Council 2017, the current version of the database is available free of charge to Member States via an updated link and accessible with Member State TIES access only, not general TIES access. Otherwise please see the free data available in the ITU's new Data Hub.

Kindly note that the complete WTID will be discontinued in 2024. The last release is expected in January 2024 containing the 2023 data collected from the long questionnaires. All the data collected by the ICT Data and Analytics Division are disseminated for free at the ITU DataHub (see above).

Available inpaper  
Other editions:   2022   2021   2020   23rd Edition, 2019   22nd Edition, 2018   21st Edition, 2017  
 
Measuring digital development - ICT price trends 2020

Related links
2020  

This free report monitors the affordability of ICT services by analysing and comparing price data for mobile-voice services, mobile data and fixed broadband for analysts, telecom operators, policy-makers and economists. It provides analysis in terms of dollar price, exchange-rate adjusted prices and affordability for mobile-voice, mobile and fixed broadband according to internationally agreed baskets for services, including bundled services.
Available inelectronic file  
Other editions:   2019  
2017  

This report analyses prices of ICT services in more than 150 countries worldwide for the period 2008-2016, to arrive at an understanding of the affordability of ICT services. The trends of four sub-baskets - namely mobile-cellular, fixed-broadband, mobile-broadband accessed via mobile handset with a cap of 500 MB, and mobile-broadband accessed via USB dongle with a cap of 1 GB - are discussed separately, highlighting the variation in prices within and between regions. Prices in this report are expressed in three complementary units: in United States dollars (USD); in international dollars (PPP$), using purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factors; and as a percentage of countries' monthly GNI per capita.

Note: ICT Prices breakdown is usually found in the ITU Publication Measuring the Information Society, next edition expected December 2018

Available inelectronic file  
Other editions:   2019  
 
Digital trends in Africa 2021: Information and communication technology trends and developments in the Africa region, 2017-2020
2021  

This report provides an overview of trends and developments in ICT infrastructure, access and use in Africa, which includes 44 Member States and is home to a population of 1.04 billion people. The report highlights changes in ICT adoption since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017 (WTDC-17) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, tracks the evolution of regulation, and reviews progress and challenges in implementing the ITU regional initiatives for Africa. Its objective is to serve as a reference for the ITU membership in reviewing progress and identifying ICT development priorities in Africa.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Digital trends in the Americas 2021: Information and communication technology trends, 2017-2020
2021  

This report provides an overview of trends and developments in ICT infrastructure, access and use in the Americas region, which includes 35 Member States and is home to a population of 1 billion people. The report highlights changes in ICT adoption since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017 (WTDC-17) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, tracks the evolution of regulation, and reviews progress and challenges in implementing the ITU regional initiatives for the Americas region. Its objective is to serve as a reference for the ITU membership in reviewing progress and identifying ICT development priorities in the Americas region.
Available inelectronic file  
 
Digital trends in the Arab States region 2021: Information and communication technology trends and developments in the Arab States region, 2017-2020
2021  

This report provides an overview of trends and developments in information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, access and use in the ITU Arab States region, which includes 21 Member States plus the State of Palestine under Resolution 99 (Rev. Dubai, 2018), and is home to a population of 423 million people. The report highlights changes in ICT adoption since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017 (WTDC-17) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, tracks the evolution of regulation and reviews progress and challenges in implementing the ITU regional initiatives for the Arab States. Its objective is to serve as a reference for the ITU membership in reviewing progress and identifying ICT development priorities in the Arab States region.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Digital trends in Asia and the Pacific 2021 - Information and communication technology trends and developments in the Asia-Pacific region, 2017-2020
2021  

This report provides an overview of trends and developments in ICT infrastructure, access and use in Asia and the Pacific, which includes 38 Member States and is home to a population of 4.2 billion people. It highlights changes in information communication technology (ICT) adoption since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017 (WTDC-17) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, tracks the evolution of regulation, and reviews progress and challenges in implementing the ITU regional initiatives for Asia and the Pacific. Its objective is to serve as a reference for the ITU membership in reviewing progress and identifying ICT development priorities in Asia and the Pacific.
Available inelectronic file  
 
Digital trends in the Commonwealth of Independent States region 2021: Information and communication technology trends and developments in the CIS region, 2017-2020
2021  

This report provides an overview of trends and developments in information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, access and use in the CIS region. The report highlights changes in ICT adoption since the last World Telecommunication Development Conference in 2017 (WTDC-17) and during the COVID-19 pandemic, tracks the evolution of regulation, and reviews progress and challenges in implementing the ITU regional initiatives for the CIS region.
Available inelectronic file  
 
Digital trends in Europe 2021 - ICT trends and developments in Europe, 2017-2020
2021  

ITU data shows that more than 75 per cent of the total world population has an active mobile broadband subscription, and over 57 per cent of households have Internet access at home. Yet, the digital divide persists. While almost all urban areas in the world are covered by a mobile broadband network, many gaps persist in rural areas. The gender divide remains a reality, with still fewer women than men benefiting from Internet use.

This reports analyses trends, progress and challenges of digital transformation in the Europe region, which is home to 46 ITU State members and a population of 686 million people.

Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Measuring the Information Society Report
2018   Publication Notice with Order Form

The 10th edition of the Measuring the Information Society Report, an annual report published by ITU since 2009, features key ICT data and benchmarking tools to measure the information society. The report presents a quantitative analysis of the information society and highlights new and emerging trends and measurement issues. The 2018 report presents the current state of ICTs using data collected by ITU from its Member States and also feature chapters on ICT skills for the future, revenue and investment in the telecommunication sector and ICT prices. The report once again includes in Volume 2 individual country profiles providing a snapshot of the latest ICT landscape and efforts made to increase ICT access and use. The analytical report is complemented by a series of statistical tables providing country-level data for the indicators included in the ITU ICT Price Basket.

Exceptionally, the pdf formats of Volumes 1 and 2 are now available free of charge via the BDT statistical pages Link. Other versions can be purchased below, including the complete zipped set of Volume 1 and Volume 2. This 2018 edition is the final edition of the series.

Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011   2010   2009   2007  
 
Handbook for the collection of administrative data on telecommunications/ICT
2020  

The ITU Handbook for the Collection of Administrative Data on Telecommunications/ICT is a key reference document for the collection of internationally comparable indicators on telecommunications/ICT based on administrative sources (i.e. supply-side data mainly from operators). The Handbook includes definitions and methodological clarifications for more than 90 internationally agreed indicators, discussed by the Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI).
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2011  
 
Yearbook of Statistics - Telecommunication/ICT Indicators - 2009-2018
2019   Publication Notice with Order Form

This is the 45th and final edition of the Yearbook of Statistics. The data included in the Yearbook was collected and processed by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) from replies received to ITU questionnaires sent to telecommunication ministries or regulators and national statistics offices. As such, the ITU Yearbook of Statistics provided the most authoritative source of data about the evolution of the telecommunication sector, the availability of ICTs in households and usage of ICTs by individuals.

As per Council 2017, the pdf version is available free of charge to Member States from a protected link via secured Member States TIES access. For more information, please contact ITU Sales.

As from 2020, the country-by-country pages formerly found in the Yearbook of Statistics will be found exclusively as part of the complete World Telecommunications/ICT Indicators Database, and no longer compiled separately. Yearbook of Statistics 2019 was the final edition in the series.

Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2018   2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011   2010   2009   34th Edition, 2008   33rd Edition, 2007   32nd Edition, 2006   31st Edition, 2005   30th edition, 2004   29th edition, 2003  
 
World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report 2010 - Monitoring the WSIS targets
9th Edition, 2010  

The 9th edition of the ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report (WTDR 2010) focuses on Monitoring the WSIS Targets. The year 2010 marks the midpoint between the 2005 Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and 2015, the deadline for achieving the ten targets that governments agreed upon at the WSIS. The Report is a mid-term review, and provides policy makers with a comprehensive assessment of what has been achieved so far, and what remains to be done. The Report has been prepared specifically for the WSIS Forum 2010 and the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-10), both to be held in May 2010. The Report reviews the 10 targets, proposes concrete indicators to monitor them and makes recommendations on policies and measures to help achieve them: To connect villages with ICTs and establish community access points To connect universities, colleges, secondary schools, and primary schools with ICTs To connect scientific and research centers with ICTs To connect public libraries, cultural centers, museums, post offices, and archives with ICTs To connect health centers and hospitals with ICTs To connect all local and central Government departments and establish web sites and e-mail addresses To adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the challenges of the information society, taking into account national circumstances To ensure that all of the world's population has access to television and radio services To encourage the development of content and put in place technical conditions in order to facilitate the presence and use of all world languages on the Internet To ensure that more than half the world's inhabitants have access to ICTs within their reach The Report reflects a joint effort among several international organisations, led by ITU and including contributions from UNESCO, WHO and UNDESA, as well as from representatives of civil society.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   8th edition, 2006   7th edition, 2003   6th edition, 2002   5th edition, 1999   4th edition, 1998   3rd edition, 1996/97  
 
Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals
2020  New!  

This Manual, an update of the 2009 and 2014 publications with the same title, has been prepared to support countries in the production of high quality and internationally comparable data on ICT access and use by households and individuals. The Manual focuses on the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development's core list of indicators on access to, and use of, ICT by households and individuals. It can be used as basic reference material when preparing, designing and implementing ICT household surveys and also serves as the basis for ITU's training course on ICT household statistics.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2014   2009  
 
World Telecommunication Indicators
2004-2005 - November 2005   Publication Notice with Order Form

This publication contains ITU's authoritative World Telecommunication Indicators for year-end 2003 and some 2004 data for selected indicators.These statistics monitor the main indicators of telephone network growth, mobile communications, pricing, revenues and investment for around 200 economies worldwide.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2000/2001 - March 2001  
 
African Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008: At a crossroads
2008   Publication Notice with Order Form

Prepared for Africa TELECOM 2008 (Cairo, Egypt, 12-15 May 2008), this report is an indispensable reference book of telecommunication facts and figures for the region. The publication provides an overview of market trends, including in the area of fixed, mobile and Internet services. It looks at the availability of ICTs in households and highlights the importance of community access to ICTs. It further looks at the role of different factors that will be crucial in connecting Africa, including regulation and taxes schemes in telecommunications/ICTs. The report includes some 20 regional tables covering key telecommunication/ICT indicators, 55 individual country pages with a five year profile from 2002-2006, and a directory with names of telecommunication ministries, regulators and operators in the region.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   7th edition, 2004  
 
Asia-Pacific Telecommunication/ICT Indicators 2008: Broadband in Asia-Pacific: too much, too little ?
2008   Publication Notice with Order Form

Prepared for ITU TELECOM ASIA 2008 (Bangkok, Thailand, 2-5 September 2008), this report is an indispensable reference book of telecommunication/ICT facts and figures for the region. The publication provides an overview of recent market trends, including in the area of fixed, mobile and Internet services. It focuses on broadband developments in the region, including in terms of policies, technologies, competition, access, pricing and applications. The report highlights government policies in the area of broadband that may serve as best practice examples but also looks at and analyzes the region's broadband digital divide and makes a number of conclusions and recommendations. The report includes some 20 regional tables covering key telecommunication/ICT indicators, over 40 individual country pages with a five year profile from 2002 to 2007, and a directory with names of telecommunication ministries, regulators and operators in the region.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   6th edition, 2004   5th Edition, 2002   4th edition, 2000  
 
Americas Telecommunication Indicators
2005   Publication Notice with Order Form

The 2005 edition of ITU’s Americas Telecommunication Indicators has been prepared especially for ITU TELECOM AMERICAS 2005 (Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, 3-6 October 2005). The publication consists of three parts: an analytical overview, regional and country statistics and a directory of telecommunication organizations. An overview of the region’s telecommunication sector is the subject of the analytical overview. The statistical section consists of regional indicator tables covering areas such as fixed telephone, mobile, Internet and broadcasting data. Data are for year-end 2003 or 2004, where available. The directory section consists of the names and websites of telecommunication ministries, regulators and facilities-based telephone and cellular operators active in the region.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   April 2000  
 
Direction of Traffic: Trading Telecom Minutes
1999   Publication Notice with Order Form

The third edition of the authoritative ITU/TeleGeography Inc. "Direction of Traffic" publication focuses on the transition in international telecommunication traffic away from the bilateral regime, based on accounting rates, to a new, multilateral, trade-based regime. Specifically, the report looks at the impact that the changing telecommunication environment will have on developing countries.
Available inCD/DVD   paper   electronic file  
 
Connect Arab Summit 2012 - Connecting the unconnected by 2015 - ICT adoption and prospects in the Arab Region
01.2012  

"This report has been prepared as a background document for the ITU Connect Arab Summit, which takes place in Doha, Qatar from 5 to 7 March 2012. The main objective of the report is to provide an overview of the deployment and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the Arab region, and to carry out a needs assessment that will help policy makers in the Arab States to identify key ICT areas that require future action. The report in particular focuses on the ICT issues identified by the Arab States regional initiatives adopted by the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-10), such as broadband access, digital broadcasting, opensource software, Arabic digital content and cybersecurity. "
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   3rd edition, 1996  
 
Measuring the Emissions & Energy Footprint of the ICT Sector: Implications for Climate Action
2023  New!  

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector finds itself at a pivotal moment - while propelling digital transformation across the globe, it is also contributing to climate change. Enabling more people to get online and to use the Internet productively can help deliver massive development payoffs, including by helping communities become more resilient to climate change through improved access to information and service delivery. Despite the sector's remarkable growth, 2.6 billion people remain offline. In addition, the sector's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions rival those of the aviation industry, and its energy requirements often impose pressure on resources. Therefore, the pressing global challenge lies in closing the connectivity gap and leveraging digital technologies for climate action in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Available inelectronic file  
 
Use of Information and Communication Technology by the World's Children and Youth
June 2008  

The main purpose of this report is to shed light on the current situation by presenting and describing statistical information on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by the children and youth of the world. A secondary goal is to describe the limitations of existing statistics, and to present proposals to increase the availability and comparability of statistics on young people's use of ICT.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology
2016  

The Little Data Book on Information and Communication Technology 2017 presents tables for over for 217 economies around the world. It provides comparable data for 2005 and 2015 on key ICT indicators covering the economic and social context, the structure of the information and communication technology sector, sector efficiency and capacity, and sector performance related to access, usage, quality, affordability, trade, and applications. The glossary contains definitions of the terms used in the tables.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
Other editions:   2015   2014  
 
Measuring the WSIS targets. A statistical framework
2011  

"The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Geneva Plan of Action identified ten targets to be achieved by 2015, along with numerous recommendations based on different action lines. In 2008, the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) recommended that the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development track progress towards achievement of the WSIS goals and targets (Resolution 2008/3). The Partnership has developed a set of core ICT indicators designed to monitor ICT developments (Partnership, 2010). They cover ICT infrastructure, household ICT access and individual use of ICT, business ICT use, the ICT sector, trade in ICT goods, and ICT in education. This publication finalizes the work of the Task Group and other members of the online forum, by presenting a statistical framework and a set of indicators for measuring the WSIS targets. It elaborates on each indicator and presents relevant statistical standards, such as classifications, definitions and data sources. "
Available inelectronic file  
 
Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009 - Africa
2009  

"This report highlights the latest ICT developments in the region and includes key statistical information for every country. It features a regional analysis of the ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009. The report points to key policy issues in the region and provides concrete recommendations for policy makers. African countries are facing a number of challenges in increasing ICT levels. They include the lack of full liberalization of markets and the limited availability of infrastructure, such as shortage of international Internet bandwidth. In addition, prices for ICT services remain very high compared to income levels and broadband Internet services are out of the reach of most Africans. "
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009 - Americas
2009  

This report highlights the latest ICT developments in the Americas region and presents key statistical indicators for each country. The report also features a regional analysis of the ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Information Society Statistical Profiles - Asia and the Pacific
2009  

This report is the first of a series of regional statistical profiles on the information society prepared by ITU in 2009, as an input to the six regional preparatory meetings (RPMs) for the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference 2010 (WTDC-10). These developments were examined in detail in the 2008 ITU Asia-Pacific Telecommunication/ ICT Indicators Report, on which Chapter 2 of this report is based. It highlights some of the earlier key findings and provides the latest updates and figures. The report also features a regional analysis of the ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009 - Arab States
2009  

This report is the sixth of a series of regional statistical profiles on the information society prepared by ITU in 2009, as an input to the regional preparatory meetings (RPMs) for the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference 2010 (WTDC-10). The sixth RPM - for the Arab States - takes place on 17-19 January 2010 and is hosted by the Government of Syria.
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Information Society Statistical Profiles 2009 - CIS
2009  

"This report highlights the latest ICT developments in the CIS region and presents key statistical indicators for each country. The report also features a regional analysis of the ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009. The CIS region is characterized by large disparities in terms of income levels, geography and size of economies. Russia is not only the largest economy in the region, but also the most advanced when it comes to ICT developments, driven by a strong and growing telecommunication market. Both Russia and Ukraine have impressive mobile penetration levels, high Internet growth rates and a dynamic ICT sector. While the region as a whole has experienced steady ICT development during the past decade, low-income countries, such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, are still characterized by limited ICT penetration and moderate ICT growth. "
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Information Society Statistical Profiles - Europe
2009  

"This report highlights the latest ICT developments in Europe and presents key statistical indicators for each country. The European region is a world leader when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT) access and use. It was the first region to adopt a uniform standard for mobile telephony in the early '90s, and to introduce next-generation mobile networks in 2000. Internet usage and fixed and mobile broadband uptake have increased significantly during the past few years. Today, the European market, with around ten per cent of the global population, accounts for more than 18 per cent of the world's mobile cellular subscriptions, 21 per cent of fixed telephone lines, 22 per cent of Internet users, and 31 per cent of both, fixed broadband subscribers and mobile broadband subscriptions. The large majority of European countries has surpassed the 100 per cent mobile penetration mark, and close to two out of three Europeans are using the Internet. ITU ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket, two ICT benchmarking tools that were launched in March 2009. I am confident that the findings of the report as well as the resulting policy conclusions will provide useful inputs to our members in preparation of the WTDC-10."
Available inpaper   electronic file  
 
Policy Brief - The affordability of ICT services 2021
2022  

Prices for fixed and mobile broadband have risen around the world amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Policy Brief - The affordability of ICT services 2021, produced jointly by ITU and the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). The affordability target set by the United Nations Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development - to bring the cost of entry-level broadband services below 2 per cent of monthly gross national income per capita by 2025 - remains elusive.
Available inelectronic file  
 
Child Online Protection - Statistical Framework and Indicators
2010  

This report considers the measurement aspects of child online protection. For the first time, an attempt has been made to provide an overall statistical framework related to the measurement of child online protection with a particular emphasis on measures that are suitable for international comparison. Most importantly, the report recommends a list of indicators related to measuring COP, along with their definitions and suggestions for data collection. The proposed indicators will enable Member States to assess the status of child online safety in their country, and identify aspects of child online protection that may require further effort. The report has been prepared with the objective to reliably measure the problem and monitor the solutions and therefore provides useful guidance to all countries, especially the developing countries, that are interested in monitoring child online safely issues. The report, which was prepared as an input to the COP initiative and the ITU Council Working Group on Child Online Protection, draws on the experience of countries that have piloted work on measuring COP.
Available inelectronic file  
 
Policy Brief - The affordability of ICT services 2022

2023  New!  

This edition reveals that - taken overall - using the Internet became more affordable globally in 2022.
Available inelectronic file