THE WORLD IN 2009:
ICT FACTS AND FIGURES
A decade of ICT growth driven by mobile technologies
80
Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions
70
An estimated 4.6 bn
subscriptions globally
by the end of 2009
Fixed telephone lines
60
per 100 inhabitants
67.0
Internet users
Mobile broadband subscriptions
50
Fixed broadband subscribers
40
30
25.9
20
17.8
10
9.5
7.1
0
‘98
‘99
‘00
‘01
‘02
‘03
‘04
‘05
‘06
‘07
‘08
‘09*
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database.
* Estimates.
Mobile cellular has been the most rapidly adopted technology in history.
Today it is the most popular and widespread personal technology on the
planet, with an estimated 4.6 billion subscriptions globally by the end of 2009
Mobile broadband subscriptions overtook fixed broadband subscribers in
2008, highlighting the huge potential for the mobile Internet
In 2009, more than a quarter of the world’s population are using the Internet
ITU-D
ICTs at home
100
Billions of people (Bn)
6
4
70.8 %
80
6.9 Bn
60
4.9 Bn
%
27.3 %
40
1.9 Bn
20
2
0
In 2009, over a quarter of the world’s
population – or 1.9 billion people –
have access to a computer at home
0
Total
population
People with
access to a
TV at home
People with
access to a
PC at home
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database.
Note: Estimates.
Whereas three quarters of households globally have a TV, one third has
a computer. With prices in continuous
decline, and ongoing convergence of
devices, the gap is likely to narrow
quickly
Billions of households (Bn)
100
1.5
77.2 %
80
1.7 Bn
60
1
1.3 Bn
0.5
34.3 %
0.6 Bn
%
40
20
0
0
Total
households
Households
with a TV
Households
with a PC
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database.
Note: Estimates.
ITU-D
The rise of mobile broadband...
...but not everywhere
Millions
700
CIS
600
Africa
Arab States
500
The Americas
400
Asia & Pacific
300
Europe
200
100
0
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009*
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database.
Note: The regions refer to the 191 ITU Member States.
* Estimates.
Asia and the Pacific and Europe have the greatest numbers of mobile broadband
subscriptions
There is a dramatic broadband divide, with very few fixed broadband subscribers
or mobile broadband subscriptions in Africa
There are substantial differences within regions. The US accounts for 82.6% of mobile
broadband in the Americas. In Asia and the Pacific, Japan and the Republic of Korea
account for 70%
ITU-D
Catching up
Developing countries only 10 years behind Sweden*
Sweden: 2008 benchmark for mobile phones, 2007 benchmark for infant mortality
Developed countries
In 2008, mobile phone penetration for developed countries was at a level
where Sweden was 2.3 years earlier
2.3
In 2008, mobile phone penetration for developed countries was at a level
where Sweden was 9.4 years earlier
9.4
Developing countries
Mobile cellular penetration
Infant mortality
Developed countries
12.0
In 2007, infant mortality rate for developed countries was at a level
where Sweden was 12 years earlier
In 2007, infant mortality rate for developing countries was at a level where Sweden was 72 years earlier
72.0
Developing countries
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Years
Source: ITU and SICENTER, based on ITU and UNICEF data.
Note: The time distance model measures the number of years a country (or region) lags behind other countries (or regions) in terms of
development benchmarks, such as mobile cellular penetration and infant mortality.
* Sweden was chosen as a benchmark as it ranked first in ITU’s ICT Development Index.
In 2008, mobile phone penetration in developing countries had reached that of
Sweden under ten years earlier; for infant mortality, the rate in developing countries in
2007 was at the level where Sweden was 72 years earlier
Even the country furthest behind (Myanmar) in terms of mobile cellular penetration is
where Sweden was just 24 years earlier. By comparison, the GDP lag for most of the
Least Developed Countries (LDCs), compared to Sweden, is over 160 years
ITU-D
The global broadband divide
Fixed broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants, 2008
Denominations and classifications employed in these maps do not imply any opinion on the part of
the ITU concerning the legal or other status of any territory or any endorsement or acceptance of any
boundary.
0 - 2.4
2.5 - 9.9
10.0 - 19.9
20.0 - 25.0
>25
No data
Over the past 5 years, the total number of fixed broadband subscribers has grown
more than threefold, from about 150 million in 2004, to almost 500 million by the end
of 2009
In Africa, there is only one fixed broadband subscriber for every 1’000 people, while in
Europe there are 200 subscribers for 1’000 people
In 2008, China overtook the US as the largest fixed broadband market in the world.
At the end of 2008, China’s fixed broadband penetration was 6.2 subscribers per 100
inhabitants, the highest of any low or lower-middle-income economy in Asia and the
Pacific
ITU-D
How much are we paying?
289
%
In Africa, the cost
of the ICT Price
Basket represents
41 per cent of the
region’s monthly
average income
45
40
35
2’500
In Europe, where
income levels are
highest, relative prices
for telecom services
are lowest
2’000
30
1’500
25
ICT Price Basket Value
20
Monthly GNI per capita (US$)
1’000
15
10
500
5
–
Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (US$)
ICT Price Basket 2008
0
Africa
Asia & Pacific Arab States
CIS
Americas
Europe
The relative price for ICT services is highest in Africa, the region
with the lowest income levels
40
Developed
35
Developing
27.6
30
PPP $
25
20.5
17.8
20
16.8 17.1
15
10
5
0
Fixed
line
Mobile
cellular
Fixed
broadband
Source: ITU, www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/2009/index.html
Note: The ITU’s ICT Price Basket shows how much countries are paying for telecommunication services, relative to income levels. It is
composed of three sub-baskets: fixed telephone, mobile cellular and fixed broadband Internet tariffs. The ICT Price Basket is computed as
the sum of these three tariffs, as a percentage of monthly Gross National Income per capita.
The price for fixed broadband access remains prohibitively high in most
developing countries, effectively limiting access to the Information Society
ITU-D
Better business conditions facilitate telecoms investment
US$
600
Telco investment per
capita
500
400
300
200
Country rank in
the “Ease of
doing business”
indicator
100
0
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
0
20
Source: ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicator Database and World Bank Doing Business (www.doingbusiness.org ).
Note: Telecom investment data for 2007 or 2006, as available.
A relatively better performance in the “Ease of doing business” country rankings
is associated with higher levels of telecom investment per capita
Who ranks where in ITU’s latest ICT Development Index (IDI)?
Top five economies within each region
Regional
IDI Rank
Europe
1
Sweden
nd
2
Denmark
3
3
Netherlands
4
5
Global
Global
Asia&Pacific
IDI Rank
IDI Rank
1 1 Korea (Rep.)
Americas
Global
Global
Arab States
IDI Rank
IDI Rank
CIS
Global
IDI Rank
Africa
Global
IDI Rank
2
United States
17
UAE
32
Russia
50
Seychelles
57
Hong Kong,
China
11
Canada
19
Bahrain
42
Ukraine
51
Mauritius
62
4
Japan
12
Argentina
47
Qatar
44
Belarus
54
South Africa
87
Iceland
5
Australia
14
Chile
48
Saudi Arabia
55
Moldova
68
Cape Verde
105
Norway
6
Singapore
15
Uruguay
49
Kuwait
57
Kazakhstan
69
Gabon
107
Region with the highest
IDI scores
Region with the lowest
IDI scores
Source: The ITU IDI is a composite index based on 11 indicators. The Index, which captures the level of advancement of ICTs in more than
150 countries worldwide and compares progress made between 2002 and 2007, was published in the 2009 Measuring the Information Society Report.
While Russia ranks 50th, globally, it is first within the CIS region
ITU-D
For more information:
Market Information and Statistics Division
Telecommunication Development Bureau
International Telecommunication Union
indicators@itu.int
www.itu.int/ict
ITU-D