Understand the importance of digital inclusion for a democratic and more sustainable future

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According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) , in 2022, 66% of the world's population was online, while only 36% of the population in less developed countries was connected to the network . These numbers demonstrate that the digital inclusion gap is still a complex and very present problem today.

That is why the Fifth Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) set very ambitious targets for a new United Nations programme, which aims to deliver sustainable development for all nations by 2030. However, with just a few years to go, there is still much to be done.

What is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day?
Celebrated every May 17th, it has been taking place since 1969, following the First International Telegraph Convention and on the anniversary of the ITU, which was founded in 1865. It is a day focused on cameroon whatsapp number database the issues involving the exchange of information and communication in general, taking into account the technologies that transform these processes over time.

How important is this day for global digital inclusion?
Year after year, as communication and human relationships are transformed by the internet and digital media, the issue of global connectivity becomes more complex. It is no longer enough to simply create ways for people to be connected to the internet, but rather to think of ways for this experience to be carried out in a safe, healthy, productive and accessible way.

However, this challenge becomes even greater when we are talking about countries that do not have the financial and technological resources to keep up with the digital transformation. In this global race for digitalization, less developed countries end up falling behind. World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is a reminder and a catalyst for this transformation to be possible for all nations.

Which are the least developed countries?
Least developed countries are considered as such because they display low socioeconomic indicators, according to criteria assessed by the United Nations. The organization's list indicates 46 countries with this status, 33 in Africa, 9 in Asia, 3 in the Pacific and 1 in Central America.

The full list can be found here .

Facts and figures: focus on least developed countries
The International Telecommunication Union has presented a report that gathers data on the connectivity situation in less developed countries, bringing to light relevant information on the digital divide, with the aim of using it as a tool for adopting measures to eliminate the situation.

Let's check out some relevant insights that the material brings us below:

Internet usage
Graph showing the disparity between internet usage between people in least developed countries and the rest of the world - World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
Graph showing the disparity between internet usage between people in less developed countries and the rest of the world.

Regarding internet usage, there is a graph that shows in dark blue the internet usage at a global level, based on the total world population, while in light blue the amount of this total that belongs to less developed countries.

Only 36% of the population of less developed countries has been online in the last three months, counting from the date of the survey. That's 407 million people online, compared to 702 million who still don't have access to the internet.

Mobile internet coverage
Two graphs showing the extent of mobile network coverage in percentage terms, on the left in the least developed countries and on the right in the rest of the world. Graph showing the disparity between internet usage between people in the least developed countries and the rest of the world - World Telecommunication and Information Society Day
Two graphs showing the extent of mobile network coverage as a percentage, on the left in less developed countries, and on the right in the rest of the world.

According to the data presented in the report, mobile internet is the main — and often the only — way to access the internet in less developed countries. As can be inferred from the graph, much of this access is via 3G. Even so, the report points out that only 83% of the territory corresponding to the population of less developed countries has mobile internet coverage, compared to 95% of the territory of the rest of the world's population.