2.9 billion people have still not used the internet as per International Telecommunication Union.
According to new data released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for information and communication technologies, nearly 3 billion people have never used the internet, effectively cutting them off from a vital source of information, communication, and education.
According to the International Telecommunication Union’s current estimates, 4.9 billion people now utilize the internet, up from 4.1 billion in 2019. This exceptionally rapid increase in internet users can be attributed in part to a “COVID connectivity boost,” as defined by the ITU. According to the organization, “widespread lockdowns and school closures, combined with people’s demand for access to news, government services, health updates, e-commerce, and online banking” have fueled the increase in internet usage.
“While almost two-thirds of the world’s population is now online, there is a lot more to do to get everyone connected to the Internet,” ITU Secretary General Houlin Zhao said in a statement.
The lack of internet connection is particularly common in developing countries, which account for 96 percent of the world’s offline population. The digital divide also exists between rural and urban communities, with urban dwellers twice as likely as rural residents to utilize the internet (76 percent compared to 39 percent).
“ITU will work with all parties to make sure that the building blocks are in place to connect the remaining 2.9 billion. We are determined to ensure no one will be left behind.”
The unusually rapid increase in the number of people online suggests that measures taken during the pandemic, such as widespread lockdowns and school closures, combined with people’s need for news, government services, health updates, e-commerce, and online banking, contributed to a ‘COVID connectivity boost,’ which has brought an estimated 782 million additional people online since 2019, a 17 percent increase.
What it means for sustainable development
The number of Internet users worldwide increased by more than 10% in the first year of the pandemic, according to the 2021 edition of Facts and Figures, the ITU’s annual survey of the state of digital connection worldwide. This is by far the highest yearly rise in a decade. Increases in emerging countries, where Internet coverage has risen by more than 13%, have fueled strong development since 2019. The average rise in the 46 UN-designated Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was more than 20%.
“These statistics show great progress towards ITU’s mission to connect the world,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, which oversees ITU’s data and analytics work.
“But a vast ‘connectivity chasm’ remains in the LDCs, where almost three quarters of people have never connected to the Internet. Women in LDCs are particularly marginalized, with roughly four out of every five still offline.”
“Digital solutions would be needed to re-energize sustainable development and help put countries back on track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030,” Bogdan-Martin added.
“Unfortunately, the communities identified in the 2030 Agenda as most at risk of being left behind are the very same communities now being digitally left behind.”
2.9 billion people have still not used the internet as per International Telecommunication Union.
Key report findings
Globally, an average of 62 percent of men use the Internet compared with 57 percent of women.
Although the digital gender divide is narrowing in all world regions and has been virtually eliminated in the developed world (89 percent of men and 88 percent of women online), large gaps still exist in the least Developed Countries (31 percent of men compared to 19 percent of women online) and Landlocked Developing Countries (31 percent of men compared to 19 percent of women online) (38 percent of men compared to 27 percent of women).
The gender divide remains particularly pronounced in Africa (35 percent of men compared to 24 percent of women) and the Arab States (68 percent of men compared to 56 percent of women).
The urban-rural gap, though less severe in developed countries, remains a major challenge for digital connectivity in the rest of the world.
People in urban areas are twice as likely as those in rural areas to use the Internet globally (76 percent urban compared to 39 percent rural).
In developed economies, the urban-rural divide in terms of Internet usage appears to be insignificant (with 89 percent of people in urban areas using the Internet in the last three months compared to 85 percent in rural areas), whereas in developing countries, people in urban areas are twice as likely as those in rural areas to use the Internet (72 percent urban compared to 34 percent rural).
In the LDCs, urban dwellers are almost four times as likely to use the Internet as people living in rural areas (47 percent urban compared to 13 percent rural).
A generational gap is evident across all world regions.
On average, 71% of the world’s population between the ages of 15 and 24 uses the Internet, compared to 57% of all other age groups.
This generational divide may be seen in every region. It is particularly prominent in LDCs, where 34% of young people have access to the internet, compared to only 22% of the rest of the population.
Young people’s increased participation is good news for connectedness and growth. Half of the population in LDCs is under the age of 20, implying that when the younger generation enters the workforce, local labor markets will become increasingly connected and technologically aware.
The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) continues to track the global digital divide.
According to ITU data, there is a significant disconnect between digital network availability and actual connection. While 95% of the world’s population might theoretically connect to a 3G or 4G mobile broadband network, billions of people do not.
The cost of equipment and services continues to be a key impediment. The cost of an entry-level mobile broadband package in developing nations is set at 2% of gross national income (GNI) per capita, according to a widely accepted aim for an affordable broadband connection in developing countries. Getting online, on the other hand, can cost as much as 20% or more of per capita GNI in some of the world’s poorest countries.
Another obstacle is a lack of digital skills and an understanding of the benefits of an internet connection, which is exacerbated by a dearth of information in local languages and interfaces that require literacy and numeracy abilities that many people lack.