Top 10 most digitally developed African countries

In its latest ICT index, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has revealed that the world is advancing towards universal and meaningful digital connectivity. In Africa, Libya stands out with the highest ICT index score.

With the rise of technology, the world has truly become a global village, where distance and borders are no longer barriers to connectivity and innovation.

According to the latest ICT Development Index (IDI) from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the world is advancing towards universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC). This means ensuring that everyone can access the internet under the best conditions, affordably, and whenever they need it, no matter where they are.

The Index (IDI), which now covers 170 economies, shows how Africa and other regions in the world are faring digitally. Enhanced data availability allowed for the inclusion of five additional economies that were previously excluded, while four had to be removed due to insufficient data this time around.

Notably, the average overall score for the 170 economies covered in the new edition is 74.8 out of 100, reflecting an improvement of 3.3 per cent from the 2023 edition.

Low-income economies showed the largest improvement; the group's average IDI score is 36.2, up 13.7 per cent from the previous edition. The largest score increases were driven mainly by gains in internet use, mobile broadband penetration, and affordability.

In contrast, high-income economies saw a score increase of only 1.4 per cent, largely because their average score is 91.7, leaving much less room for improvement. The gap between low-income and high-income economies remains significant.

Also, the average IDI score for low-income economies is 36.2, compared to 64.8 for lower-middle-income economies.

Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, stated "However, we have to recognize that each country has its own characteristics, faces its own challenges, and must follow its own development path."