Growing internet connections mask deep inequalities, says ITU report
New ITU data shows that while global internet access is increasing, key divides in speed, affordability and digital skills remain strong, especially in low-income countries.
According to a recent International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report, the number of internet connections continues to grow, but important inequalities persist across quality, affordability and usage.
The ITU’s Facts and Figures 2025 report estimates that nearly 6 billion people (around three-quarters of the world’s population) are online in 2025, up from 5.8 billion in 2024. Despite the increase, 2.2 billion remain offline, the majority in low- and middle-income countries.
The divide is especially stark in quality of connection. While 5G now reaches 55 per cent of the global population, coverage is heavily skewed: just 4 per cent of people in low-income countries have 5G access, compared to 84 per cent in high-income economies.
Users in wealthier countries also generate much more data, a typical user in a high-income country now sends or receives nearly eight times more mobile data than someone in a low-income country.
Affordability remains a major hurdle: even with falling median prices for mobile broadband, access is still unaffordable for about 60 per cent of the population in many low- and middle-income countries. Meanwhile, digital skills, especially advanced skills like online safety, problem-solving and content-creation, lag behind basic usage, limiting how effectively people can benefit from connectivity.
ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin emphasised that achieving universal and meaningful connectivity isn’t just about getting people online, it also requires prioritising speed, reliability, cost and skills.
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