“Can You Guess Which Countries Still Struggle Most With Internet Access?”

 

Where in the World Is Internet Access Still a Challenge?

For many people, going online is such a normal part of everyday life that it is easy to forget how different the situation can be in other parts of the world.

Checking the news, watching a video, sending a message, applying for a job, or studying online may take only a few seconds for someone with a reliable connection. But for millions of people, internet access is still limited, expensive, slow, or unavailable.

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), around 74% of the world's population was using the Internet in 2025. That still leaves about 2.2 billion people offline. Most of those people live in low- and middle-income countries.

Africa continues to face one of the biggest connectivity gaps. The ITU reported that Internet use across Africa was only about 36% in 2025, compared with much higher levels in Europe and the Americas.

Some countries face particularly serious challenges.

South Sudan, for example, has major gaps in telecommunications infrastructure. ITU data show that only a limited share of the population was covered by 3G or 4G networks, while affordability also remains a significant obstacle.

Other countries, including Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad and South Sudan, were identified by the ITU as having some of the lowest levels of connectivity in its assessment of African countries. The problem is not simply whether a signal exists. The cost of access, network quality and availability of infrastructure all matter.

There is also a very different situation in North Korea. Ordinary smartphone users can access a state-run intranet, but they generally do not have access to the global Internet. According to Freedom House, only a small number of people have access to the global Internet through separate services.

Why does this matter?

Internet access is increasingly connected to education, employment, communication, banking, healthcare information and access to news. When people cannot get online reliably, they can miss opportunities that many others take for granted.

Cost is another important part of the problem. Even when networks are available, Internet service may still be too expensive for some households. ITU data show that affordability remains a major barrier, particularly in lower-income economies.

The good news is that global connectivity continues to grow. Millions of people come online every year, and mobile broadband coverage has expanded significantly. But being covered by a network is not always the same as having affordable, reliable and useful Internet access.

The digital divide is therefore about more than simply having a signal. It is also about whether people can afford the service, whether the connection is fast and reliable, and whether they have the skills and devices needed to make use of it.

As Internet access becomes increasingly important in everyday life, closing these gaps could have a major impact on education, business and communication around the world.