GlobalConnectivityReport2025 Acknowledgements TheGlobalConnectivityReport2025waspreparedbytheICTDataandAnalyticsDivision(IDA)oftheITUTelecommunicationDevelopmentBureau(BDT).ThecoreteamcomprisedJoséL.Cervera-Ferri,NehalDesai,FredrikEriksson,ThierryGeiger,EsperanzaMagpantay,NathanMenton,DanielaPokorná-Calheno,MartinSchaaper,VivianaUmpiérrezandDanielVértesy,withadditionalcontributionsfromRiinaVuorikari(IDAconsultant),YouliaLozanova(RME/BDT),JorgeCiccorossi(ITURadiocommunicationBureau)andAndrésFígoli(ITUGeneralSecretariat).MihaelaCeković(IDA)coordinatedthedigitalpresence. ITUalsowishestothankthefollowingexpertsandinstitutionsfortheirvaluableinputsandinsights,whichinformedthepreparationofthisreport:PabloLemoine,FabricioAlarcónandCarlosEstebanLemoine(CentroNacionaldeConsultoría,Colombia);HosseinTohidimehr(GenevaGraduateInstitute);NataliaVicente(GlobalSatelliteOperatorsAssociation,GSOA);AlanRamírezGarcía(IDAconsultant);Prof.SoniaLivingstone(LondonSchoolofEconomics);AraceliMartínez(NationalInstituteofStatisticsandGeography,INEGI,Mexico);ŽigaŽarnić(OECDWISE);andDavidRausis(UNODC). ThisreporthasbenefitedfromthefinancialsupportoftheEuropeanUnionthroughtheprojectPromotingandMeasuringUniversalandMeaningfulConnectivity. Coverdesign:GuneshGaribli Disclaimers ThedesignationsemployedandthepresentationofthematerialinthispublicationdonotimplytheexpressionofanyopinionwhatsoeveronthepartoftheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU)oroftheITUsecretariatconcerningthelegalstatusofanycountry,territory,city,orareaorofitsauthorities,orconcerningthedelimitationofitsfrontiersorboundaries. Thementionofspecificcompaniesorofcertainmanufacturers’productsdoesnotimplythattheyareendorsedorrecommendedbyITUinpreferencetoothersofasimilarnaturethatarenotmentioned.Errorsandomissionsexcepted;thenamesofproprietaryproductsaredistinguishedbyinitialcapitalletters. AllreasonableprecautionshavebeentakenbyITUtoverifytheinformationcontainedinthispublication.However,thepublishedmaterialisbeingdistributedwithoutwarrantyofanykind,eitherexpressedorimplied.Theresponsibilityfortheinterpretationanduseofthemateriallieswiththereader. Theopinions,findingsandconclusionsexpressedinthispublicationdonotnecessarilyreflecttheviewsofITUoritsmembership. ISBN 978-92-61-41571-6(Electronicversion)978-92-61-41581-5(EPUBversion) Pleaseconsidertheenvironmentbeforeprintingthisreport. ©ITU2025 Somerightsreserved.ThisworkislicensedtothepublicthroughaCreativeCommonsAttribution-Non-Commercial-ShareAlike3.0IGOlicense(CCBY-NC-SA3.0IGO). Underthetermsofthislicence,youmaycopy,redistributeandadapttheworkfornon-commercialpurposes,providedtheworkisappropriatelycited.Inanyuseofthiswork,thereshouldbenosuggestionthatITUendorseanyspecificorganization,productsorservices.TheunauthorizeduseoftheITUnamesorlogosisnotpermitted.Ifyouadaptthework,thenyoumustlicenseyourworkunderthesameorequivalentCreativeCommonslicence.Ifyoucreateatranslationofthiswork,youshouldaddthefollowingdisclaimeralongwiththesuggestedcitation:“ThistranslationwasnotcreatedbytheInternationalTelecommunicationUnion(ITU).ITUisnotresponsibleforthecontentoraccuracyofthistranslation.TheoriginalEnglisheditionshallbethebindingandauthenticedition”.Formoreinformation,pleasevisithttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo/ GlobalConnectivityReport2025 Foreword Connectivityhasbecomethedefininginfrastructureofourtime.Itunderpinshowwelearn,workandparticipateinsociety.Itdrivesinnovation,strengthenseconomiesandservespeople,businessesandinstitutionsaroundtheworld.AswereachthemidpointoftheDecadeofAction,connectivityremainscriticaltoharnessingtheopportunitiesofartificialintelligenceandotheremergingtechnologies. Forconnectivitytobemeaningful,itmustextendfarbeyondbasicaccesstotheInternet.Withoutreliable,affordableandsecurenetworks,thebenefitsoftechnologicalprogresswillbelimitedtoonlyafew,deepeningdividesinsteadofbridgingthem.Thismakes universalandmeaningfulconnectivitymorethanapolicygoal;itisaprerequisiteforinclusiveandresponsibledigitaldevelopment. TheGlobalConnectivityReport2025takesstockofthecurrentstateofconnectivityworldwideandhighlightspersistentdividesbetweenandwithincountries.Itoffersinsightsonhowglobalstakeholderscanaccelerateprogresstowardsuniversalandmeaningfulconnectivityandsustainabledigitaltransformation.Thefindingsunderlinehowfartheworldhascome–andhowmuchremainstobedone–toensurethateveryonecanbenefitsafelyandeffectivelyfromthemanyopportunitiesofthedigitalera. Atthesametime,connectivitybringsnewchallenges.Thesamenetworksthatempowercanalsoamplifyinequality,carrymisinformationandstrainthenaturalenvironment.Oursharedresponsibility–championedbyITUandreaffirmedthroughtheGlobalDigitalCompact–istoensurethatdigitaltransformationbecomesanetpositiveforceforallpeopleandourplanet. IamdeeplygratefultotheentireITUcommunity–ourMemberStates,SectorMembers,Academia,partners,andstaff–fortheirunwaveringdedicationtoconnectingtheworldmeaningfully. DoreenBogdan-MartinSecretary-GeneralInternationalTelecommunicationUnion Preface