Internet Access and the Digital Divide

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, estimated in its Facts and Figures 2023 report that approximately 2.6 billion people — roughly one-third of the global population — remained offline, with the gap concentrated disproportionately in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia and skewed toward rural areas, older populations, and people with lower incomes. This "digital divide" is not simply a matter of infrastructure availability but also affordability, digital literacy, and relevant local-language content, all of which the ITU tracks as distinct barriers to meaningful connectivity rather than mere network coverage.