Digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Digital connectivity composite index was -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2025. ▼ Falling
Digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2005–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in standard deviations from the yearly mean.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean for digital connectivity composite index in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 21 years on record.
The figure is down 36.0% on the previous year and down 54.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at -0.7846 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2005 and was at its lowest, -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean, in 2025.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 44th of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | standard deviations from the yearly mean | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | -0.7846 standard deviations from the yearly mean | — |
| 2006 | -0.9007 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +14.8% |
| 2007 | -0.8615 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -4.3% |
| 2008 | -0.892 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.5% |
| 2009 | -0.9359 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.9% |
| 2010 | -0.817 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -12.7% |
| 2011 | -0.8362 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +2.4% |
| 2012 | -0.8309 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.6% |
| 2013 | -0.8196 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.4% |
| 2014 | -0.8232 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +0.4% |
| 2015 | -0.8041 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.3% |
| 2016 | -0.858 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +6.7% |
| 2017 | -0.8488 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.1% |
| 2018 | -0.885 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +4.3% |
| 2019 | -0.8533 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -3.6% |
| 2020 | -0.8819 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +3.4% |
| 2021 | -0.87 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.3% |
| 2022 | -0.8523 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -2.0% |
| 2023 | -0.8947 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +5.0% |
| 2024 | -0.9115 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +1.9% |
| 2025 | -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean | +36.0% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -36.0% | -0.9115 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | -0.875 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.9359 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.7846 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 5 |
| 2010s | -0.8376 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.885 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.8041 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.9417 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean | -0.8523 standard deviations from the yearly mean | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 41 Israel 0.5711 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 42 San Marino 0.5605 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 43 Slovakia 0.5471 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 44 New Zealand 0.5409 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 45 Australia 0.5166 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 46 Belarus 0.5111 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
- 47 Hungary 0.4961 standard deviations from the yearly mean compare
More science & technology data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Scientific and technical journal articles 48,022 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per square kilometre 0.002 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate -0.2159 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 8,160 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 1,834 (2020)
- Proportion of individuals using the Internet 35.7% (2025)
- Proportion of population covered by at least a 2G mobile network 94.1% (2025)
- Proportion of population covered by at least a 3G mobile network 88.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Digital connectivity composite index in Sub-Saharan Africa was -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest digital connectivity composite index recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was -0.7846 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2005.
- What is the lowest digital connectivity composite index recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean in 2025.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for digital connectivity composite index?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 44th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is digital connectivity composite index rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Digital connectivity composite index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Proportion of individuals using the Internet; Mobile cellular subscriptions; Fixed broadband subscriptions; Secure Internet servers. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.
Equal-weighted mean of the standardised inputs below.
Computed from
- Proportion of individuals using the Internet United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
- Mobile cellular subscriptions World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Fixed broadband subscriptions World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Secure Internet servers Secure Server Survey, Netcraft
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
An equal-weighted index of 4 indicators: Proportion of individuals using the Internet; Mobile cellular subscriptions; Fixed broadband subscriptions; Secure Internet servers. Each is standardised against that year's spread across all reporting countries before averaging, so a score of 0 is the average country and +1 is one standard deviation above it.