Côte d’Ivoire’s digital leap positions it among Africa’s top performers
The Côte d’Ivoire has made significant strides in digital transformation, climbing 4% in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) latest ICT Development Index (IDI) for 2026. The country’s score rose from 69.5 in 2025 to 72 in 2026, reflecting robust progress in digital infrastructure and market adoption.
This achievement aligns with the Côte d’Ivoire’s strategic priorities, as outlined in its National Development Plan (PND) and National Digital Development Strategy. Both frameworks emphasize digitalization and modern telecom infrastructure as key drivers of economic growth.
Where Côte d’Ivoire stands in Africa’s digital landscape
With a score of 72, the Côte d’Ivoire ranks 15th in Africa, outperforming the continental average of 59. This puts the country firmly among the continent’s digital leaders, ahead of several peers. The ITU’s evaluation framework, which assesses two key pillars—Universal Connectivity and Meaningful Connectivity—highlights the country’s strengths.
Universal Connectivity: Strong foundation in basic digital access
The Universal Connectivity pillar measures fundamental digital engagement, including household internet access, individual internet usage, and active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. The Côte d’Ivoire scores 64.9 here, well above Africa’s average of 38.1. Over 70% of the population now uses the internet actively, while 58.7% of households have home internet access. Mobile broadband subscriptions have reached 84.1 per 100 people, reinforcing the country’s solid base in digital inclusion.
Meaningful Connectivity: High-performance infrastructure and affordability
The Meaningful Connectivity pillar evaluates operational factors such as mobile network coverage, data traffic per subscription, device ownership, and tariff accessibility. The Côte d’Ivoire excels here with a score of 79, surpassing the African average of 65. Mobile broadband networks—3G and 4G/LTE—cover 98% and 90% of the population, respectively. Additionally, mobile data and voice tariffs remain highly affordable, costing just 1.8% of the national gross income per capita, earning an affordability score of 95.8 out of 100. Fixed broadband tariffs are also reasonable, at 4.8% of the national income per capita, yielding an affordability score of 87.
Market penetration and untapped potential
The country has achieved strong market penetration: 73.1% of individuals own a mobile phone, while 70.8% use the internet regularly. However, deeper digital usage reveals room for improvement. Average mobile broadband data consumption stands at 32.7 gigabytes per subscription, translating to a traffic score of 51.5. Fixed broadband usage averages 893.9 gigabytes per subscription, with a normalized score of 73.7. These figures suggest that while basic connectivity is well-established, there is significant potential for growth in advanced digital consumption and high-bandwidth applications.
How Côte d’Ivoire compares to other African nations
The Côte d’Ivoire’s 72-point score places it just behind Senegal (72.8) and Namibia (72.2) in the continental rankings. The top five African performers are Morocco (89.2), Mauritius (89.1), Algeria (87.8), South Africa (86.4), and Seychelles (84.4), followed by Tunisia, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Eswatini, and Botswana. The Côte d’Ivoire’s 15th-place finish underscores its competitive position but also highlights opportunities for further advancement in digital depth and usage intensity.
