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The ITU ICT SDG indicators

The Global SDG Indicator Framework includes 7 ICT indicators covering 6 targets under Goals 4, 5, 9, and 17. The following five indicators are under the responsibility of ITU (data also available at the DataHub):

Indicator 4.4.1: Proportion of youth and adults with ICT skills, by type of skills

Low levels of ICT skills hamper progress to universal and meaningful connectivity

Self-reporting of ICT skills is subjective. However, ICT skills are measured based on whether an individual has recently performed certain activities that require different types of skill. The assumption is that performing these activities implies that one has a certain level of the required skills. Activities are grouped into five areas of digital skills: communication/collaboration; problem solving; safety; content creation; and information/data literacy.

Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills,

by type of skill, based on most recent data in 2019-2022 period

Source: ITU

Despite the importance of digital skills in leveraging ICTs for economic prosperity and social well-being, data remain very scant. Only 83 countries submit data, and rarely for all skill areas. Based on this limited dataset, skills linked to information/data literacy are the most prevalent, with a median of 56 per cent and an average that lies between 33 and 69 per cent for most countries. Communication/collaboration is the second most prevalent (median of 51). Problem solving (36), safety (34), and content creation (25) follow with much lower medians.

Another way to analyse these data is through the scope of skills reported in different countries. Among the 70 countries that provided data in at least three skills areas, 58 reported averages of at least 25 per cent in multiple areas, 32 reported averages of over 50 per cent in multiple areas and only two reported averages of over 75 per cent in multiple areas.

The relatively low level of skills in countries providing data contrasts with their high median share of overall Internet use, 87 per cent. This gap between individuals using the Internet and those with digital skills demonstrates that many may be using the Internet without being able to fully benefit from it or avoid its dangers.

Indicator 4.4.1 is the global indicator for SDG Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.

The data can be found in the ITU DataHub and in the UN SDG Indicators Database. The metadata are also available on the UN website. For more SDG analysis, visit the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024.

Indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex

More than three-quarters of the world’s population own a mobile phone, but women are about 8 per cent less likely to own one than men

Data show that, on average, the percentage of individuals owning a mobile phone is higher than the percentage of Internet users, in every region and every income group. Worldwide, 78 per cent of the population aged 10 and over in 2023 owned a mobile phone, 11 percentage points higher than the percentage of individuals who used the Internet. This gap is shrinking in all regions, as growth in Internet use has significantly outpaced the growth of mobile phone ownership over the last three years.

The gender parity gap in mobile phone ownership is comparable with that in Internet use. At the global level, the gender parity score (defined as the percentage of women owning a mobile phone divided by the number of men owning one) for mobile phone ownership is marginally lower (i.e., skewed against women) than it is for Internet use. As with Internet use, progress has been uneven over the past three years. Women were about 8 per cent less likely to own a mobile phone than men in 2023, down from 10 per cent in 2020. Among those not owning a mobile phone, women outnumbered men by 35 per cent.

Percentage of individuals who own a mobile phone, by sex, 2023

Source: ITU

Note: Population aged 10 and over.

In Australia and New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Northern America, and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, gender parity in mobile phone ownership was reached or almost reached, while Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) and Northern Africa and Western Asia were above the 0.9 mark. In Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia, low mobile phone ownership rates were coupled with low gender parity scores.

In LDCs and LLDCs, a low level of ownership is coupled with a low gender parity score, meaning ownership is very much skewed in the favour of men. In the SIDS, overall ownership was slightly above the global level, but with gender parity almost reached.

Indicator 5.b.1 is the global indicator for SDG Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.

The data can be found in the ITUDataHub and in the UN SDG Indicators Database. The metadata are also available on the UN website. For more SDG analysis, visit the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024.

Indicator 9.c.1: Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

The mobile broadband coverage gap persists at five per cent

In most developing countries, mobile broadband (3G or above) is the main way – and often the only way – to connect to the Internet. This kind of access is available to 95 per cent of the world population. Bridging the “coverage gap”, that is covering the remaining five per cent still out of reach of a mobile-broadband network, is proving difficult: since crossing the 90 per cent threshold in 2018, global 3G coverage has increased by only four percentage points. In Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), the gap stands at no less than 31 per cent. In sub-Saharan Africa, the gap is shrinking but remains relatively high at 17 per cent, predominantly affecting the population of central and western Africa.

Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

Source: ITU

Note: The values for 2G and 3G networks show the incremental percentage of population that is not covered by a more advanced technology network (e.g. 95% - rounded - of the world population is covered by a 3G network, that is 4.9% + 90.1%).

Mobile broadband remains out of reach for 18 per cent of the population in LDCs and LLDCs, which are falling short of target 9.c of Sustainable Development Goal 9: to “significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.”

Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, 2023

Source: ITU

Since commercial deployment began in 2019, preliminary figures show that 5G coverage has increased to reach 40 per cent of the world population in 2023. Where 5G is not available 4G remains a very good alternative. Ninety per cent of the world population is covered by 4G. However, 55 per cent of people without access to 4G live in low-income countries. Whereas 95 per cent of the population in high-income and middle-income countries is covered by 4G or above, the proportion drops to 39 per cent in low-income countries, where 3G remains the dominant technology, and often the only technology available to connect to the Internet.

Indicator 9.c.1 is the global indicator for SDG Target 9.c: Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

The data can be found in the ITUDataHub and in the UN SDG Indicators Database. The metadata are also available on the UN website. For more SDG analysis, visit the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024.

Indicator 17.6.1: Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

Fixed-broadband subscriptions continue to grow steadily, but with a wide disparity between low- and high-income countries

Fixed-broadband subscriptions continue to grow steadily, at an average annual growth rate averaging 6.4 per cent between 2015 and 2023, reaching 19 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2023 globally.

Fixed Internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, 2023

Source: ITU

Penetration rates for fixed subscriptions are much lower than for mobile subscriptions, because fixed connections are usually shared by several people in a household. Nonetheless, the inequalities in access to fixed connections across countries are far higher than for mobile connectivity. While fixed connections are common among households in upper-middle-income and high-income countries, they are nearly non-existent in low-income countries, due to high prices and a lack of infrastructure. In Europe and Northern America, Australia and New Zealand and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, between there were 33 to 37 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. This stands in sharp contrast with Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), where there were less than 5 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

Indicator 17.6.1 is the global indicator for SDG 17.6: Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism.

Indicator 17.8.1: Proportion of individuals using the Internet

Internet use continues to grow, but there is a wide disparity between regions

Approximately 67 per cent of the world’s population, or 5.4 billion people, was online in 2023. This represents a growth of 4.7 per cent since 2022, an increase from the 3.5 per cent recorded from 2021 to 2022. The number of people offline in 2023 decreased to an estimated 2.6 billion people, representing 33 per cent of the global population.

Proportion of individuals using the Internet, 2023 (%)

Source: ITU

Internet use remains tightly linked to the level of a country’s development. In Australia, New Zealand, Europe and North America, universal usage (defined for practical purposes as an Internet penetration rate of at least 95 per cent) has been reached. Four out of five people in Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern and South-Eastern Asia were using the Internet, while this was true for three out of four in Northern Africa and Western Asia. In Central and Southern Asia, only just over half of all people were online, while Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand) and Sub-Saharan Africa were lagging even further behind at 38 and 37 per cent.

Universal connectivity also remains a distant prospect in least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries (LLDCs), where only 35 and 39 per cent of the population are online, respectively. In the Small Island developing states (SIDS), finally, two thirds of the population was online, in line with the global average.

While there was an uptick in the increase in the number of Internet users during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the last three years, growth rates in the number of Internet users were back at pre-pandemic levels.

Digital gender parity is still a distant prospect in regions with low Internet use

Worldwide, 70 per cent of men are using the Internet, compared with 65 per cent of women. This means that globally, there are 244 million more men than women using the Internet in 2023.

Parity is achieved when the gender parity score, defined as the share of women using the Internet divided by the share of men using the Internet, is between 0.98 and 1.02. The world population has been inching gently towards parity, with the score increasing from 0.90 in 2019 to 0.92 in 2023.

The gender parity score, however, provides only a partial picture of the gender divide, because it represents the ratio of two percentages. For example, while women account for roughly half of the population, they account for a disproportionate – and increasing – share of the global offline population: women now outnumber male non-Internet users by 17 per cent, up from 11 per cent in 2019.

The gender party score versus Internet use, 2023

Source: ITU

Note: The gender parity score is calculated as the proportion of women who use the Internet divided by the proportion of men. A value less than one indicates that men are more likely to use the Internet than women, while a value greater than one indicates the opposite. Gender parity is considered to be achieved if the value lies between 0.98 and 1.02.

Generally, the regions with the highest Internet use also have the highest gender parity scores. In Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Northern America and Latin America and the Caribbean, gender parity has been achieved. In Eastern, South-Eastern and Western Asia, the rest of Oceania and Northern Africa, the gender parity score is above the 0.9 mark. Central and Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa continue to lag other regions by a sizeable margin despite some improvement, which are also regions where overall Internet use is very low.

Least developed countries continue to exhibit low levels of Internet use and to generate low gender parity scores despite having made noticeable progress in recent years in both usage and gender parity. Landlocked developing countries have shown only limited progress towards gender parity since 2019.

Gender parity scores and Internet penetration rates tend to be correlated. Small island developing States, where two thirds of the population use the Internet, are an exception. Although SIDS are 25 percentage points below the most connected country groups, they are close to gender parity (0.97). In 2019, the share of women using the Internet was even higher than that of men (score of 1.02).

Indicator 17.8.1 is the global indicator for SDG 17.8: Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology.

Reports

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024

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