As global internet prices diverge in 2025, Africa shows both progress and persistent gaps-emerging as a mobile-data bright spot while high costs in other markets continue to constrain digital inclusion.
Access to affordable, high-quality internet has become a cornerstone of economic growth, digital innovation, and global competitiveness. The Global Internet Prices 2025 report highlights stark differences in internet costs across regions, revealing how pricing continues to shape digital inclusion worldwide. While some countries enjoy ultra-cheap, high-speed connectivity, others still face high costs that limit participation in the digital economy. Africa, in particular, presents a mixed picture-marked by promising progress in some markets and persistent challenges in others.
Africa's internet pricing landscape, uneven but evolvingAfrica remains one of the most diverse regions in terms of internet pricing and accessibility. Several African countries now rank among the most affordable globally for mobile data, driven by growing competition among telecom operators, rapid smartphone adoption, and expanding 4G and fiber-optic networks. Markets such as Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, and Malawi have benefited from regulatory reforms and private-sector investment, helping to lower data costs for consumers, entrepreneurs, and small businesses.
However, affordability is far from uniform across the continent. In landlocked, low-income, or conflict-affected countries, internet access remains expensive and often unreliable. Limited backbone infrastructure, dependence on cross-border fiber routes, high energy costs, and taxation on telecom services continue to push prices upward. These disparities reinforce the digital divide between urban and rural areas and slow the growth of Africa's digital startups, e-commerce platforms, and remote work opportunities.
Despite these challenges, momentum is building. Investments in submarine cables, data centres, satellite internet, and last-mile connectivity are gradually reshaping Africa's digital future. Governments increasingly recognise that affordable internet is not a luxury, but a strategic necessity for education, financial inclusion, innovation, and job creation.
How Africa measures upGlobally, the 2025 rankings show a widening gap between digital leaders and lagging regions. Countries such as Singapore, Chile, and parts of Eastern Europe enjoy some of the world's cheapest and fastest internet connections, supported by dense fiber infrastructure, strong competition, and stable regulatory environments. In contrast, regions affected by political instability, geographic isolation, or weak infrastructure, many of them in Africa and parts of the Middle East, continue to face the highest internet prices.
That said, Africa's progress in mobile data affordability stands out when compared to other developing regions. In several African markets, mobile internet is now cheaper than in parts of Latin America and Asia, positioning the continent as a potential leapfrog region for mobile-first innovation, fintech, digital services, and cross-border trade.
The Global Internet Prices 2025 report underscores a critical reality: internet pricing is more than a consumer issue-it is a development and competitiveness issue. For Africa, lowering the cost of connectivity is central to unlocking the continent's vast digital potential. Continued investment in infrastructure, smarter regulation, regional integration, and public-private partnerships will be key to ensuring that affordable, high-quality internet reaches more people and businesses.
As Africa moves deeper into the digital age, improving internet affordability will not only bridge the digital divide but also accelerate innovation, attract investment, and position the continent as a stronger player in the global digital economy.