Naveed Kashif, Nokia

The term digital divide has been with us for around three decades, and it remains stubbornly in evidence worldwide. A report from 2024 by Unesco, the International Telecoms Union (ITU) and the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, says that roughly a third of the global population, or 2.6 billion people, are not online and 38% of the population live in places covered by mobile broadband, but don’t use it. In 2023, internet use was at 93% in high-income countries, 55% in lower- to middle-income countries, and at 35% in least developed countries, says the ITU. 

People who aren’t online can’t access digital finance, digital health initiatives, education or e-government services, among other things. Getting online is also still too expensive. According to the report, the average cost of mobile broadband services in lower- to middle-income economies is 5.5 times less affordable when compared to high-income ones, and more than 20 times less affordable in low-income countries. A fixed broadband subscription, if it’s available, will cost the equivalent of a third of average monthly income.