A new report reveals that high data prices and handset costs are slowing down digital inclusion across the region.

Highlights

● Sub-Saharan Africans pay 2.4% of monthly income for 1 GB of data—above the affordability threshold.
● Mobile phone ownership lags behind the global average, mainly due to high device costs.
● Only 45% of adults in the region used the Internet recently, compared to 80% in other regions.

People in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region spend an average of 2.4% of their monthly income on just 1 gigabyte of data—well above the 2% affordability benchmark set by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This is according to the World Bank’s “Global Findex Database 2025: connectivity and financial inclusion in the digital economy” report published on July 16, 2025. The report notes that for the poorest 40% of the population in the SSA region, the cost of 1GB jumped to 5% of monthly income in recent years.

Although data costs have fallen since 2022—when they were at 3.5%—the region still holds the highest median mobile data prices globally.

The study, based on surveys of about 145,000 adults across 141 countries, highlights that these high costs are a major obstacle to digital inclusion. Only 45% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa used the Internet in the three months prior to the survey, compared to 80% in regions like East Asia & Pacific, Europe & Central Asia, and Latin America & the Caribbean.

Even among smartphone owners, daily internet use remains limited. While 55% use mobile internet every day, nearly 1 in 5 only go online once a month or less.

Handsets Still Out of Reach for Many

The report also emphasizes the barrier posed by device costs. Around 74% of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa own a mobile phone—below the global average of 86% and lower than the 84% average in all low- and middle-income countries.

Among adults who do not own a mobile phone, 77% cited price as the main barrier. Entry-level smartphones can cost up to 73% of a poor adult’s monthly income in the region.

Additionally, basic phones—which only support calls, SMS, and limited services like mobile money via USSD—still dominate in 17 of the 18 economies where internet-capable devices are not the norm. All 17 are in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Bangladesh being the exception.

Digital Security Lags Behind

The report also warns of weak digital security practices. About 50% of adults with mobile money accounts do not protect their phones with passwords. This exposes them to theft and unauthorized transactions, even though many mobile money providers now require PIN codes for access.

Furthermore, 30% of adults said they have received scam messages from strangers asking for money—a sign that online fraud and extortion schemes are widespread in the region.

This article was initially published in French by Walid Kéfi

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho