Emma Okonji
An estimated 6.3 billion individuals, roughly 76 per cent of the world’s inhabitants, now have entry to the web in 2026, up from a revised estimate of 6.1 billion individuals, or 74 per cent, in 2025, ‘Facts and Figures’ launched right this moment by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has mentioned.
ITU nonetheless mentioned regardless of the continued progress in web connectivity, two billion individuals nonetheless remained offline and unconnected to the web, a growth that uncovered the digital divide that persists globally.
Giving particulars of the report, ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, mentioned: “In the age of AI, being offline means being shut out of countless opportunities, from education to employment. Now more than ever, we need to expand connectivity and make it meaningful for everyone, everywhere.”
With Internet use now estimated to increase to greater than three-quarters of worldwide inhabitants, ‘Facts and Figures’ 2026 confirmed continued progress towards common connectivity.
At the identical time, the information revealed persistent disparities in who’s linked. According to the report, the usage of web stands at 93 per cent in excessive revenue nations, in contrast with simply 32 per cent in low-income nations.
Closing gaps within the affordability, availability, high quality and use of digital applied sciences and companies is crucial to attaining common and significant connectivity, when everybody can use the web underneath optimum circumstances, at an inexpensive value, wherever and each time they want, the report additional mentioned.
Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, mentioned: “The continued expansion of global connectivity creates opportunities for socio-economic development and supports wider access to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. ‘Facts and Figures’ 2026 shows us the significant progress achieved so far and the work that lies ahead of us to translate access to digital technologies into meaningful connections that can improve people’s lives. For this to happen, we should also prioritise the delivery of digital skills. Without digital skills and meaningful connectivity, the benefits of technologies risk remaining out of reach for many, reinforcing existing digital divides.”
The newest version of ITU’s annual connectivity evaluation offers international, regional and revenue group estimates for indicators associated to web use, subscriptions and visitors in addition to affordability, digital abilities, cell community protection and cell phone possession.
Key findings from ITU’s ‘Facts and Figures 2026 embody: Gender, Age, Location, Mobile telephone possession, Mobile community protection, Monthly cell utilization, and Affordability.
For gender, the report mentioned globally, 79 per cent of males and 74 per cent of girls used the web, including that the ratio of girls to males utilizing the web has elevated to 0.94.
For age demography, the report mentioned individuals remained extra linked than the remainder of the inhabitants, with 86 per cent of individuals aged 15 to 24 utilizing the web globally, in contrast with 74 per cent of the remainder of the inhabitants.
For location, the report mentioned urban-rural divide has narrowed, although clear disparities persist., including that globally, 82 per cent of city residents have entry to the web, in contrast with 63 per cent in rural areas.
For cell phone possession, the report mentioned 84 per cent of the worldwide inhabitants aged 10 and over, owned a cell phone, including that possession exceeds 95 per cent in high-income nations, in contrast with 57 per cent in low-income nations.
For cell community protection, the report mentioned an estimated 97 per cent of the worldwide inhabitants lived inside attain of no less than a 3G community. It nonetheless mentioned protection by extra superior applied sciences remained extremely unequal, including that whereas 5G reaches 59 per cent of the worldwide inhabitants, protection ranges from 86 per cent in high-income nations to only 4 per cent in low-income nations.
For month-to-month cell utilization, the report mentioned common month-to-month cell broadband visitors per subscription was 20 GB in high-income nations, roughly six occasions the three.4 GB in low-income nations. In the world of affordability, the report mentioned the worldwide median value of a data-only cell broadband basket fell to 1.2 per cent of gross nationwide revenue (GNI) per capita, whereas that of a hard and fast broadband basket declined to 2.3 per cent.
According to the report, each landlocked creating nations (LLDCs) and small island creating states (SIDS) met, for the primary time in 2026, a broadly recognised affordability goal of two per cent of GNI per capita for the cell broadband basket.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes economies and societies, the report famous that connectivity, together with its affordability, and digital abilities would decide who advantages from rising applied sciences.
