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

HTML code to embed chart

Want a bespoke report?

Reach out

Related Insights

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.
Madagascar, at $0.32 per 1GB, closes out the top 20, which reflects the upper boundary of affordable data across African nations.

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.
9mobile's market share in 2025 dropped to just 1.29% from its 2016 peak of 16.31%.
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.

Chrome alone accounts for two-third of all web traffic across all devices, outpacing Safari and Edge

Chrome dominates the global browser market with a 66% share, handling two-third of all web traffic across devices.
Safari follows distantly at 17%, trailing Chrome by a wide margin of 49% points.
Edge, Firefox, Samsung Internet, and Opera combined account for only 12% of the market, showing limited competition.
Other lesser-known browsers collectively hold a 5% share, indicating minimal impact from emerging or alternative players.

Mobile data usage in Sub-Saharan Africa significantly lags behind the global average of 21.6 GB per month

Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest mobile data usage globally, at 6.7 GB/month, which is less than one-third of the global average.
India, Nepal, and Bhutan top the global chart with the highest data consumption at 36 GB/month, signalling deep mobile integration in daily life.
Gulf Cooperation Council countries follow closely with 31.9 GB/month.
Western Europe and North America share the same high usage rate of 25.8 GB/month, indicating mature digital economies with consistent connectivity.
Latin America also lags, though still more than twice ahead of Sub-Saharan Africa at 15.2 GB/month.
The Middle East and North Africa surpass the global average too, at 22.7 GB/month, further highlighting the unique lag of Sub-Saharan Africa in mobile data use.

On average, an individual spends 6 hours and 38 minutes on the internet daily, amounting to 27.6% of each day

A staggering 96.3% of users access the internet via mobile devices, making smartphones the most important digital tools in the world today.
While 82.7% of the global urban population is online, only 47.4% of the rural population has access. That’s a huge gap that reflects deep inequalities in infrastructure and digital opportunity.
Spending 6 hours and 38 minutes online every day isn’t just scrolling time; it’s a shift in how humans live, learn, and earn. It’s equivalent to more than 100 full days online per year per person.
Although mobile dominates, 61.5% of users still access the internet through computers, proving that traditional devices still matter for work, school, or content creation.
While 70% of men use the internet, 65.7% of women do. This gap may seem small, but on a global scale, it represents millions of women without access to tools for learning, income, and visibility.
With billions spending almost 7 hours daily online, the internet is where decisions are made, opinions are formed, and lives are influenced.