Page 10 - Measuring digital development The affordability of ICT services 2024

The affordability of ICT services

Global and regional trends

This section discusses global and regional mobile baskets improved by between 9.2 and
trends for the five ICT price baskets. The first 11.1 per cent on average per year between
part discusses affordability, followed by a 2018 and 2024, approximately three times as
discussion on progress towards achieving the much as that of the fixed-broadband basket
Broadband Commission target, while the last (3.1 per cent on average per year). The trend
part features a short analysis of absolute price was interrupted in 2020-2021, corresponding
levels. to the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when
income levels fell.
Affordability trends Affordability gains picked up pace between

Figure 2 shows the affordability of the five price 2022 and 2024: mobile basket prices as a
baskets for the world and the six ITU regions. percentage of GNI per capita fell by between
14.1 and 17.9 per cent annually, while the
The figure shows that the five baskets have all fixed-broadband basket price fell by 9.4 per
become more affordable since 2018. The four cent annually.

Figure 2: Affordability trends by region (basket prices as a % of GNI per capita)
Africa Americas Arab States
20 5 5
Fixed broadband
4 4
15
3 3 Mobile data & voice high
consumption
10
2 2 Mobile data & voice low
2% target consumption
5 1 1
2% target Data-only mobile
broadband
0 0 0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Mobile cellular low-
usage
Asia-Pacific CIS Europe World
5 5 5
4 4 4

3 3 3
2 2 2 2% target
1 1 1
0 0 0
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

Note: Regions correspond to the regional grouping of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT)�
Median values shown in the chart were calculated as a percentage of GNI per capita for the set of economies
for which data were available for all years between 2018 and 2024 for a given basket in order to adjust for the
effect of changing data availability� The chart for Africa is shaded to highlight the different vertical scale from
the rest of the charts�
Source: ITU

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