• Internet surge slows but still expected to leave 2.7b people offline in 2022
• More investments needed in digital networks and technologies, implementing best practice regulation, and a continued focus on skills development.
• Europe remains the most connected regions globally while Africa is the least connected.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, said that the aim of getting the whole world connected by 2030 remains elusive despite increased web use amid pandemic.

While an estimated 5.3 billion people worldwide are now using the Internet, 2.7 billion people – or one-third of the world’s population – remain unconnected to the Internet in 2022.

“The Covid-19 pandemic gave us a big connectivity boost, but we need to keep the momentum going to ensure that everyone, everywhere can benefit from digital technologies and services,” ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao, said in a statement.

“This can only be achieved with more investments in digital networks and technologies, implementing best practice regulation, and a continued focus on skills development as we move to a post-pandemic era.”

Two major challenges

In 2019, prior to the pandemic, an estimated 3.6 billion people, or nearly half the world’s population, were unconnected.
Amid concerns about slowing progress, ITU analysis indicates two major challenges in terms of advancing the world’s digital transformation:

• First, achieving universal connectivity – which in effect means bringing the remaining one-third of humanity online – will prove increasingly difficult. Most relatively easy-to-connect communities now have access to technologies like mobile broadband, spurring rapid and widespread uptake of digital services. Those still offline mostly live in remote, hard-to-reach areas.
• Second, the shift from basic to meaningful connectivity – by which people not only have ready access to the Internet but are able to use it regularly and effectively to improve their lives – is complex. Often, such challenges are overlooked or under-estimated. Barriers can include slow Internet speed; limited affordability of hardware and subscription packages; inadequate digital awareness and skills; and linguistic and literacy barriers, as well as issues like gender discrimination or the lack of reliable a power source. All these need to be addressed if everyone is to enjoy equitable access to online resources.

 “While the rise in the number of people using the Internet worldwide is positive, we should not assume the robust growth witnessed in recent years will continue unabated. Those who are still not using the Internet will be the most difficult to bring online,” Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, said.

Universal meaningful connectivity

Globally, the number of Internet users grew by seven per cent and Internet penetration – the share of individuals using the Internet – grew by six per cent between 2021 and 2022.

However, growth is unevenly distributed across regions.
Areas with low Internet penetration have achieved the fastest growth over the past year – following a typical diffusion pattern for new and emerging technologies.

Among the regions, Europe remains the most connected globally, with 89 per cent of its population online, followed by the Americas, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and Europe each achieved 3 per cent growth, with more than 80 per cent of the population online in each region, the Arab States showed robust growth, with the Internet now reaching 70 per cent of the population, the  Internet penetration grew from 61 per cent in 2021 to 64 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, relative to the region’s population.

Africa, the least connected of ITU’s six world regions, achieved 13 per cent year-on-year growth of Internet penetration. Today, 40 per cent of the population in Africa is online.

 “Those who are still not using the Internet live in remote areas, often belong to disadvantaged groups, and in some cases are unfamiliar with what the Internet can offer. That is why our target needs to be not just universal connectivity, but universal meaningful connectivity,” Martin said.