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.
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.
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.
India tops the list with 651.6 million people offline — almost five times Nigeria’s number, but a smaller percentage (44.7%) of its population.
China has 311.9 million unconnected people, but that’s only 22% of its population.
With 78.7% of its population offline (105.2M people), Ethiopia has the lowest internet penetration among the top countries listed.
Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Pakistan all have over 50% of their populations unconnected.
Despite their smaller populations, over 70% of people in both Tanzania and Uganda remain offline.
While Nigeria is a regional tech hub, it still has over 128 million people offline, pointing to a major disconnect between urban tech growth and rural internet access.
