Egypt, Nigeria represent third number of internet users in Africa

CAIRO - 5 November 2024: A report recently issued by the International Telecommunication Union stated that the African continent has achieved a remarkable increase in the rate of the internet usage, as the number of internet users has increased from 181 million in 2014 to nearly 646 million currently. 

 

The report added that Egypt and Nigeria, the two most populous countries in the continent, represent nearly a third of the number of internet users in the continent.

 

The report explained that this significant growth will be supported by evolving consumer habits, especially the increasing demand for mobile video streaming and the increasing use of artificial intelligence applications that require large amounts of data.

 

The report, published by the Statista, a German online platform that specializes in data gathering and visualization, added that the African continent is poised to achieve greater growth, as expectations indicate that the number of internet users will swell to more than 1.1 billion by 2029, which represents a staggering increase of about 70 percent.

 

The report continued: "The cost of data is expected to decrease, making internet access more affordable and more accessible for millions of people across the continent."

 

According to the International Telecommunication Union, the average cost of 1 GB of data fell from $12.44 in 2010 to $1.57 in 2020, indicating a decline in data prices as internet adoption increased worldwide.

 

He added that the significant increase in smartphone purchases has increased the amount of data used globally. However, the cost of mobile data varies widely across regions, with significant differences in the price of 1 GB of data.

 

The average cost of 1 GB of data fell from $12.44 in 2010 to $1.57 in 2020.

 

A report on telecommunications sector indicators, issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, revealed that the number of mobile internet users in Egypt jumped to about 82.51 million customers by the end of last August, compared to about 74.57 million customers during the same period in 2023; with an annual growth rate of 10.64 percent, with an increase of about 7.94 million new users.