Cost of Internet and social media shutdowns across Africa in 2021

Africa lost approximately $454 million and 2,802 hours between January and August 2021 to several forms of government-imposed social media shutdowns and Internet blackouts with Nigeria's Twitter shutdown recording the highest lost at $381.4 million.

Source:

Top10VPN

<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://intelpoint.co/insights/cost-of-internet-and-social-media-shutdowns-across-africa-in-2021/" title="Cost of Internet and social media shutdowns across Africa in 2021"><img src="https://intelpoint.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cost-of-Internet-and-social-media-shutdowns-across-Africa-in-2021.webp" style="width: 80%; height: auto; max-width:960px;-ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic; margin: 0 auto; display: block;" alt="Chart: Cost of Internet and social media shutdowns across Africa in 2021"/></a><br><span>Find more insights at <a href="https://intelpoint.co/insights?utm_source=Insight%20Embed&utm_medium=HTML&utm_campaign=Cost+of+Internet+and+social+media+shutdowns+across+Africa+in+2021" target="_blank" style="color: #4f9acc; text-decoration: none;">Intelpoint</a>.</span></div>Copied to clipboard!

Period:

2021

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Africa’s cybersecurity score increased by 171% between 2017 and 2024.
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South Africa leads Africa in internet speed at 42.4 Mbps

South Africa sets the benchmark with the fastest average download speed (42.42 Mbps), more than double Morocco’s (19.61 Mbps).
Southern African countries dominate the top half of the ranking, with South Africa, Eswatini, Botswana, Lesotho, and Madagascar all featuring strongly.
Rwanda and Mauritius show East Africa’s progress, with average speeds above 30 Mbps, signalling solid digital infrastructure growth.
Wide disparities persist, with the gap between the highest (South Africa) and lowest (Morocco) averaging over 22 Mbps.

Sudan recorded the least average internet speed in 2024 at just 4.02 Mbps

Sudan sits at the bottom with an average speed of 4.02 mbps, far below the continental average.
The Central African Republic follows closely at 4.08 mbps, making Central Africa a weak spot for digital connectivity.
Somalia, despite topping the list, averaged only 6.64 mbps, showing even the “fastest among the slowest” remains well behind global standards.
The concentration of slow speeds in East and Central Africa points to persistent infrastructure and investment gaps.

Average monthly data use in Nigeria now exceeds 7GB per active internet subscription

Per-user data usage more than doubled in 29 months.
The surge [was] driven by heavier usage, not more users.
February dips and year-end spikes show seasonal habits.
2024 marked a lasting shift to higher monthly data use.

Uganda and Mauritius offer Africa’s cheapest 1GB data at $0.02 while Madagascar ranks highest in the top 20 at $0.32

Uganda and Mauritius offer the most affordable mobile data in Africa, with 1GB for just $0.02 over a 30-day period.
Comoros, Ghana, and South Africa also rank among the cheapest, each offering 1GB of data for $0.07 to $0.10.
Nigeria is among the top 10, with a relatively low cost of $0.13 per 1GB, placing it below the continental average.
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Globacom’s average internet subscriber base fell by almost 64% in 2025, down to 15.8 million from its 2023 peak

MTN remains the market leader, growing from 26 million subscribers in 2013 to 75 million by early 2025.
MTN's market share was 53.10% in early 2025, with over 75 million active data subscribers.
Airtel saw consistent growth, rising from 8.2 million in 2013 to 48.7 million in 2025, now commanding over 34% market share.
Globacom’s data subscriber base peaked in 2023 at 43.7 million but fell sharply by 2025 to 15.8 million.
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Globacom’s market share dropped significantly from its peak of 29.27% in 2017 to 11.16% in 2025.
Airtel doubled its market share from 18% in 2013 to 34% in 2025.
9mobile's data subscriber base crashed by 88% from its 2016 peak to less than 2 million in 2025.