Mobile phones and mobile internet continue to play an increasingly key role in society – providing people with a tool to stay connected to family and friends, to access online information, entertainment services and to support their businesses, among many other uses. Indeed, mobile is the primary way people are accessing the internet in LMICs, accounting for 84% of broadband connections in 2023.[1] However, while more people are coming online every year, the rate at which people are adopting mobile internet remained flat in 2023. Those who are women, poorer, less educated, rural and persons with disabilities are more likely to be unconnected, yet many of these groups stand to gain the most from connectivity.
The GSMA will be publishing its annual State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report prior to MWC Kigali in October, which shows the latest trends on mobile internet coverage and usage worldwide, along with the key barriers to mobile internet adoption and use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The report draws on a range of data including the GSMA Consumer Survey [2] and the recently updated GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index, which measures the performance of 173 countries against the key enablers of mobile internet adoption.
Mobile internet connectivity continues to increase, but the rate of growth has remained flat
At the end of 2023, approximately 57% of the global population (4.6 billion people) were using mobile internet on their own device – up from 33% in 2015 (see Figure 1).[3] This represents an increase of 160 million people over the year, which is similar to the growth in 2022 but represents a slowdown in the growth compared to the 2015-2021 period when more than 200 million people became connected each year. More than 90% of the growth in 2023 came from LMICs, where 95% of the unconnected population lives.
This year’s report will also for the first time include data on individuals who use mobile internet but do not have their own device, including children who account for 30% of the global population. When including those who access the internet on a shared device, the number of people who are using mobile internet increases from 57% to 66% of the world’s population.
Figure 1: Global mobile internet connectivity, 2015–2023
Base: Total population, 197 countries
Note: Totals may not add up due to rounding. Every year, GSMA Intelligence updates its estimates of the number of mobile internet subscribers in each country, incorporating new (and/or updated) data from operators, regulators, national statistics agencies and consumer surveys where available. In some countries and regions, estimates of mobile internet adoption may therefore differ from what was presented in previous editions of The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity.
Source: Unique subscriber data is sourced from GSMA Intelligence. Coverage data is sourced from GSMA Intelligence, combining data reported by mobile operators and national regulatory authorities. Population data is sourced from the UN.
There are two ways people can be ‘unconnected’; either they live in an area not covered by mobile broadband, or they live in an area that is covered but do not use mobile internet. ‘Usage gap’ refers to those who live within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but are not using mobile internet services. ‘Coverage gap’ refers to those who live in an area not covered by a mobile broadband network.
By the end of 2023, the share of the global population living in areas without mobile broadband coverage stood at 4%. This represents a marginal reduction compared to previous years and means around 350 million people are still not covered by a mobile broadband network (compared to almost 400 million in recent years). The remaining uncovered communities are the most challenging to reach. They are predominantly rural, poor and sparsely populated, and are typically in a least developed, landlocked or small island developing state. The ITU and IMF have estimated that around $430 billion of investment is needed to provide the infrastructure required to enable universal access to broadband by 2030.[4]
However, of the 3.45 billion people who remain unconnected to mobile internet, 90% live in an area already covered by mobile broadband but are not using it. With mobile internet adoption outpacing network expansion, this usage gap has continued to shrink and was 39% by the end of 2023. However, the usage gap is now nine times the size of the coverage gap. This represents a significant proportion of the population – 3.1 billion people – who are facing other barriers to adoption of mobile internet, beyond coverage.
Global figures mask substantial differences within regions and countries
These connectivity figures vary both by and within regions and countries. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the lowest connectivity levels as well as the largest coverage and usage gaps, with 27% connected, a coverage gap of 13% and usage gap of 60%. Within the region, connectivity is highest in Southern and Western Africa at around 30% and lowest in Central Africa at 19%, which also has the largest coverage gap at 34%. Eastern Africa has the largest usage gap within the region at 68%. Certain segments of the population are also less likely to use mobile internet. For instance, in LMICs women are 15% less likely than men to use mobile internet.
Affordability and literacy and digital skills remain the top barriers to mobile internet adoption, but barriers to further mobile internet use differ
Overall awareness of mobile internet is relatively high, with over 80% of the population in seven out of the 12 surveyed countries aware of mobile internet. However, this still means that in five of the survey countries, between 20% and 50% of the population have still not heard of mobile internet. Awareness in many cases remains a significant initial barrier to mobile internet adoption.
For those that are aware of mobile internet, the report will provide an in-depth analysis of the obstacles to both mobile internet adoption and further use among existing users. The analysis will include a deep dive on affordability, which remains the greatest barrier to mobile internet adoption and was reported as the second greatest barrier to further use, see Table 1. It is important to note that the relative importance of different barriers varies considerably by region, country and demographic.
Table 1: Barriers to mobile internet adoption and further use across survey countries
| Top barriers across survey countries | ||
| Mobile internet adoption | Further mobile internet use | |
| 1 | Affordability (particularly of handsets) | Safety and security |
| 2 | Literacy and digital skills | Affordability |
| 3 | Safety and security | Connectivity experience |
Base: For mobile internet adoption – adults aged 18+ who have not used mobile internet in the past three months on any device, despite being aware of mobile internet. For further mobile internet use – adults aged 18+ who use mobile internet
Note: The barriers in the table above are composite barriers. These composite barriers are aggregates (not averages) of the responses for between two and five sub-barriers. Access-related barriers are not grouped as a composite since they cover a disparate range of topics. Rankings indicate the relative aggregated proportion of respondents who answered, “This is the most important reason stopping me” to the question, “Which one of those factors would you say is the single most important reason stopping you from using the internet on a mobile phone/using the internet more on a mobile phone?”.
Source: GSMA Consumer Survey, 2023
Without renewed efforts to close the digital divide, the underserved risk being further left behind
Collectively, we must work to accelerate access to internet services once more and continue working towards connectivity for all. Without renewed efforts to close the digital divide, the underserved are at risk of being left behind in an increasingly digital world.
The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2024 will provide a detailed analysis of the current state of mobile internet connectivity to help inform efforts to address the digital divide. It will include, for the first time, an analysis of connectivity among children; analysis of the barriers to further mobile internet use among existing users; and the economic impact of closing the usage gap.
As growth in connectivity remains flat, this next iteration of the State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report series aims to inform action to help unlock greater progress towards digital inclusion for the underserved.
The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2024 will be available here from 22 October 2024.
[1] International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates for 2023.
[2] Carried out every year since 2017, this face-to-face nationally representative survey is used to understand access and use of mobile and mobile internet in LMICs. In 2023, it was conducted in 12 low- and middle-income countries.
[3] Each year, GSMA Intelligence incorporates new and updated data from operators, regulators, national statistics agencies and consumer surveys where available. This applies to historic data before 2024, therefore, estimates of mobile internet adoption in the 2015-2023 period can differ from what was presented in previous editions of The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity.
[4] ITU (2020), Connecting humanity Assessing investment needs of connecting humanity to the Internet by 2030 and IMF (2023), Estimating Digital Infrastructure Investment Needs to Achieve Universal Broadband
The Connected Society programme is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and supported by the GSMA and its members.