10 Countries with the Lowest Internet Penetration

According to a GSMA Intelligence report, the number of people unconnected to the internet has fallen below 3 billion for the first time. North Korea has been recorded as having the lowest internet penetration rate globally.

Internet penetration in this totalitarian state is only 0.01%. African countries dominate the top ten list. The Central African Republic has internet penetration of 7.1%, and Eritrea 8%.

Next, Comoros has internet penetration of 8.5%, and South Sudan 10.9%.

Kiribati is the only Oceanian country in the top ten, with internet penetration reaching 14.6%.

Low- and middle-income countries tend to have low internet penetration. In fact, 1 in 4 people in these countries are unaware of the internet.

Here is a list of countries with the lowest internet penetration:

1. North Korea: 0.01%
2. Central African Republic: 7.1%
3. Eritrea: 8%
4. Comoros: 8.5%
5. South Sudan: 10.9%
6. Somalia: 13.7%
7. Niger: 14.5%
8. Kiribati: 14.6%
9. Burundi: 14.6%
10. Democratic Republic of Congo: 17.6%

GSMA Intelligence data shows that global internet users increased to 4.95 billion at the beginning of 2022, with internet penetration now reaching 62.5 percent of the world's total population. The data also shows that internet users have grown by 192 million (+4.0 percent) over the past year, but the actual growth trend may be significantly higher than indicated by these figures due to restrictions during the research period.