Progress and Gaps: Key Findings from ITU’s Facts and Figures 2025

On the 17^th of November, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) published the Facts and Figures 2025. The estimates show continuing progress in expanding digital connectivity, however, the report also notes that there is a stark difference in the quality of benefit from Internet use. Currently, about 6 billion people, or three-quarters of the world’s population, are connected to the Internet in 2025, an increase from 5.8 billion in 2024. 2.2 billion people remain offline, but the number has decreased since the previous year. The ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin underscores that today’s digital divides are “being defined by speed, reliability, affordability, and skills”, which all must be simultaneously prioritized towards the mission of universal connectivity.

Addressing the Challenges: Quality of Connectivity and Digital Divides

This year’s report was the first of its kind to estimate the total number of`5G subscriptions, which now accounts for a third of all mobile broadband subscriptions worldwide. While it is estimated that 5G networks will cover 55 percent of the world’s population, the coverage remains uneven. 84 percent of people in high-income countries have access to 5G, yet only 4 percent of low-income countries are covered. A typical user in a high-income country generates nearly eight times more mobile data than one in a low-income country. These numbers reveal deep contrasts in quality of coverage, as well as in intensity.

The digital divide persists, and remains closely linked to economic development, gender, and location. 96 percent of those offline live in low- and middle-income countries, 85 percent in urban areas are online compared to 58 percent in rural areas, and 82 percent of 15–24-year-olds use the internet, compared with 72 percent of the rest of the population.

Towards a Connected Future

Equitable connectivity depends on two critical factors according to the report: affordability and digital skills. Cheaper mobile broadband prices and advanced online skills such as online safety and digital content creation will be critical for equal access.

ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau Director, Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, stresses that reliable data are essential for shaping effective digital policies. Achieving meaningful connectivity will require sustained investment in infrastructure, digital skills training, and stronger data systems, with resources targeted at the communities most in need. The goal: ensuring that everyone can benefit safely and fully from the opportunities of the digital age.

Read the press release by ITU here.

Read the full report by ITU here.