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

Key Takeaways

  • 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.

Across Africa, the cost of mobile data can vary sharply from one country to the next, even among those with the cheapest rates. At the very top of the list are Uganda and Mauritius, where 1GB of data costs just $0.02. Close behind are Comoros ($0.07), Ghana ($0.08), and South Africa ($0.10).

Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy and most populous country, also makes the top 10, with 1GB costing $0.13. Others on the list include Angola, Gambia, and Zambia, showing that affordable data spans both West and Southern Africa. The 20th spot—Madagascar—closes out the list with a still-low price of $0.30 per GB.

But even at these prices, the lived experience of affordability differs. In a country like Mauritius, where incomes are relatively higher and the cost of living is more stable, $0.02 may feel truly negligible. In Uganda or Comoros, that same $0.02 may carry more weight when stacked against food, transport, or housing costs.

While all 20 countries on this list boast low data prices, the real affordability of internet access still depends on local wages, living costs, and daily priorities.

Source:

Cable.co.uk

Period:

2023
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
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.
54.3% of Nigeria's population — about 128.3 million people — are still unconnected, placing the country fourth in the world
  • 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.
At 18.91mb/sec, Nigeria ranks 102nd among 111 countries, making it the tenth among countries with the worst mobile download speed
  • With a median mobile download speed of 441.89 Mbps, the UAE is in a league of its own, setting a high benchmark for digital infrastructure globally.
  • At just 18.91 Mbps, Nigeria ranks 102nd, only narrowly ahead of countries like Ecuador and Libya. This means the digital experience for most Nigerians is significantly slower than the global average.
  • The difference between the fastest and slowest countries spans over 400 Mbps, showing a growing divide in how nations can participate in digital economies.
  • Countries like Denmark, South Korea, Norway, and the Netherlands continue to show strong mobile connection.
  • It's notable that Qatar and Kuwait, alongside the UAE, are not just energy-rich but also leaders in mobile connectivity.
  • Several African nations, Nigeria, Libya, and Mozambique, feature among the slowest, highlighting the urgent need for investment in faster, more reliable mobile networks across the continent.
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved