Development and Access to Information2017

IFLA in partnership with the Technology & Social Change Group

Fact Sheet

2

Development and Access to Information | 2017

Fact Sheet: The State of Access to Information in 2017

Access to information: The right and capacity to use, create, and share information in ways that are meaningful to each individual, community, or organization.

• Between 2010 and 2015, the share of the world’s population using the Internet rose from 30 percent to almost half – over 3 billion people. A majority of the nearly 1.3 billion new users were connected via mobile devices.

• All regions experienced some growth; however, in Southern Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia, more than 70 percent of the population still remains offline. In Oceania, that number rises to 87 percent offline – the highest percentage among all the regions.

Developed regions Developing regions World

Source: ITUNote: Data from 2015. Percentage of individuals using the internet (187 countries); fixed broadband subscriptions (196 countries); number of mobile sub-scriptions (189 countries); active mobile-broadband subscriptions (184 countries); percentage of population covered by at least 3G (166 countries); estimated proportion of households with a computer (185 countries); percentage of households with internet access at home (181 countries).Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.1: Overall state of A2I infrastructure availability in 2015 worldwide

Active mo-bile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

88.3

36

45.1

Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

29.3

7.7

11.5

Percent of indi-viduals using the

internet

78

36.5

43.7

Percent of house-holds with internet access at home

80.9

34.2

42.3

Percentage of the population covered by at

least a 3G mobile network

93.9

79

82.4

Estimated propor-tion of households with a computer

80.5

29.8

38.6

• By 2016, over 80 percent of people lived in areas covered with at least a 3G network.

• Affordability of mobile services and devices remain a challenge. Despite the network coverage, far fewer mobile broadband subscriptions were active in less-developed countries (36 per 100 inhabitants) than in more-developed countries (88 per 100 inhabitants).In Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile broadband costs almost 13 percent of monthly Gross National Income per capita, and in Oceania at 8.5 percent.

3

Development and Access to Information | 2017

Source: ITU.Note: 177 countries, data from 2015.Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.5: Mobile broadband costs as a percentage of monthly GNI.

Mobile broadband, handset prepaid 500MB, as percent of GNI per month

Mobile broadband cost, handset prepaid 500MB, USD

GNI per capita per month, USD

World

Northern Africa

Eastern Asia

Southern Asia

Developing regions

South-eastern Asia

Oceania

Developed regions

Sub-Saharan Africa

Caucasus and Central Asia

Western Asia

Latin America andthe Caribbean

$1216 $11,81 4,8%

6,3%

0,6%

3,5%

1,9%

0,6%

2,3%

1,6%

8,5%

12,9%

3,2%

3,5%

$11,34

$13,09

$6,54

$12,68

$9,47

$10,98

$6,13

$19,21

$10,37

$15,5

$3,77

$2704

$678

$412

$2143

$2589

$394

$1022

$276

$196

$736

$229

4

Development and Access to Information | 2017

• People in less-developed countries are using social networking sites more actively than people in developed ones (71 percent compared to 67 percent).

• People in less-developed countries use the internet for online courses more actively than people in more-developed countries. Twenty percent of people in less-developed countries reported taking an online course compared to only 7 percent in more-developed ones.

• Only 39 percent of people in less-developed countries use the internet to access blogs, forums, or discussion sites and to read or download news or books, compared with 75 percent in more-developed countries.

Low income Lower middle income Upper middle income

Source: ITU.Note: 32 countries shown, data from 2015Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.12: Countries at the highest risk of not achieving the Connect 2020 target

Turkmenistan

Ethiopia

Papua New Guinea

Burundi

Sierra Leone

Chad

Bangladesh

Burkina Faso

Congo, Rep.

Guinea

Niger

Timor-Leste

Mali

Comoros

Central African Republic

Somalia

Kiribati

Solomon Islands

Togo

Madagascar

Eritrea

Angola

Malawi

Benin

Congo, Dem. Rep.

Haiti

Mozambique

Liberia

Guinea-Bissau

3.5%

5.4%

8.3%9%9.3%10%10.3%11.4%11.6%

11.9%12.2%12.4%13%13.4%15% 14.4%

5.9%6.8%7.1%7.6%7.9% 7.5%

3.8%4.2%

1.1%

4.6%

1.8%

4.7%

2.2%

4.9%

2.5%

2.7%

Djibouti

Afghanistan

Tanzania

Percent of individuals using the internet

• Almost 40% of women in less-developed regions are now online compared to 80% in more developed regions. The internet user gender gap is the widest in Africa (23%) followed by Arab States (20%)

5

Development and Access to Information | 2017

Developing regions Developed regions World

Source: ITU.Note: 61 countries. Regional averages not representative of the world, but illustrate that large gaps exist.Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.14: ICT activities by type of activity

Participating in social networks

Getting information from general govern-ment organizations

Purchasing or ordering goods or services

Sending or receiving e mail

Doing a formal online course

Selling goods or services

Getting information about goods or services

Accessing chat sites, blogs, newsgroups or online discussions

Using services related to travel or travel relat-ed accommodation

Reading or download-ing on line newspa-pers or magazines, electronic books

Interacting with general government organizations

Seeking health information, on injury, disease, nutrition, etc

Internet banking

Telephoning over the Internet VoIP

Making an appoint-ment with a health practitioner via a website

71%

67%

68%

53%81%

70%

43%

75%

63%

39%

15%

36%

14%

28%

14%

27%

13%

24%

12%

20%

9%

75%

22%

71%

57%

44%

7%

30%

54%

56%

45%

7%

20%

46%

17%

57%

42%

39%

13%

28%

38%

44%

32%

11%

18%

6

Development and Access to Information | 2017

• Poverty and economic standing significantly affect people’s ability to use information meaningfully. At the same time, access does offer an avenue for reducing poverty and creating economic opportunity, though what people can do with this access is still bounded by structural inequalities.

Low income Lower middle income Upper middle income

Sources: ITU (percentage using the internet), UN (percentage living below the national poverty line), World Bank (income groups).Note: 113 countries (graph excludes high-income countries); data from 2015 for percentage using the internet, data from 1993-2015 for the percentage living below the national poverty line.Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.16: Percentage of people using the internet vs. percentage living below the national poverty line.

80

60

40

20

0

0 20 40

Percent of individuals using the internet

Connect2020 Target for LDCs (20%) Connect2020 Target (60%)

Perc

ent o

f pop

ulat

ion

livin

g be

low

the

natio

nal p

over

ty li

ne

60 80

Afghanistan

Iraq

South Africa

Albania

Jamaica

Sri Lanka

Angola

Jordan

Sudan

Armenia

Kazakhstan

Swaziland

Azerbaijan

Kenya

Syrian Arab Republic

Bangladesh

Kiribati

Tajikistan

Belarus

Kyrgyz Republic

Tanzania

Benin

Lao PDR

Thailand

Bhutan

Lebanon

Timor-Leste

Bolivia

LesothoTogo

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Liberia

Tonga

Botswana

Macedonia, FYR

Tunisia

Brazil

Madagascar

Turkey

Bulgaria

Malawi

Tuvalu

Burkina Faso

Malaysia

Uganda

Burundi

Maldives

Ukraine

Cambodia

Mali

Uzbekistan

CameroonMauritania

Vanuatu

Central African Republic

Mexico

Venezuela, RB

Chad

Micronesia, Fed. Sts.

Vietnam

Colombia

Moldova

Yemen, Rep.

Comoros

Mongolia

Zambia

Congo, Dem. Rep.

Montenegro

Zimbabwe

Congo, Rep.

Morocco

Costa Rica

Mozambique

Côte d’Ivoire

Namibia

Dominican Republic

NepalEcuador

Nicaragua

Egypt, Arab Rep.

Niger

El Salvador

Nigeria

Equatorial Guinea

Pakistan

Eritrea

Panama

Ethiopia

Papua New Guinea

Fiji

Paraguay

Gabon

Peru

Gambia, The

Philippines

Georgia

RomaniaGhana

Russian Federation

Guatemala

Rwanda

Guinea

Samoa

Guinea-Bissau

São Tomé and PrincipeHaiti

Senegal

Honduras

Serbia

India

Sierra Leone

Indonesia

Solomon Islands

• Women need access to the internet and the resources that information and communication provide. Access promotes economic self-sufficiency for women. It allows them to make informed decisions about their bodies, their health, and their families.

• Gender inequality and low internet usage among women are most prevalent in the poorest countries.

7

Development and Access to Information | 2017

Low income Lower middle income Upper middle income High income

Sources: UN (Gender Inequality Index), ITU (percentage using the internet by gender)Note: 78 countries, data from 2012-2015, depending on country.Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.18: Percentage of females using the internet vs. the Gender Inequality Index

Percent of female population using the internet

Gen

der i

nequ

ality

inde

x (0

is b

est,

high

er v

alue

s in

dica

te in

crea

sed

ineq

ualit

y)

Armenia

Ireland

Slovak Republic

AustraliaIsrael

Slovenia

AustriaItaly Spain

Bahrain

Jamaica

Sudan

Bangladesh

Japan

Sweden

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Switzerland

Belgium Korea, Rep.

Thailand

Bolivia

Latvia

Turkey

Brazil

Lithuania

Ukraine

Bulgaria

Luxembourg

United Arab Emirates

Burundi

Macedonia, FYR

United Kingdom

Cambodia

Malaysia

United States

Colombia

Malta

Uruguay

Costa Rica

Mauritius

Venezuela, RB

Croatia

Mexico

Zimbabwe

Cuba

Montenegro

Cyprus

Morocco

Czech Republic

Netherlands Denmark

New Zealand

Ecuador

Norway

El Salvador

Oman

Estonia

Panama

Finland

Paraguay

France

Peru

Georgia

Poland

Germany

Portugal

Greece

Qatar

Hungary

Romania

Iceland

Russian Federation

Indonesia

Saudi Arabia

Iran, Islamic Rep.

Singapore

0 25 50 75 100

0.1

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

• According to Freedom House (2016), internet freedoms have been declining for six years, with Freedom of the Net scores falling in at least half of the countries monitored each year.

• The implications are significant: Freedom House estimates that, in the previous 12 months, 60 percent of internet users lived in countries where people were arrested or imprisoned for posting content on political, social, and religious issues; while 49 percent of users live in countries where people have been attacked or killed for their online activities.

8

Development and Access to Information | 2017

Source: Freedom HouseNote: 65 countries, data from 2015Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington

Figure 1.25: Freedom on the Net in the world in 2015

Freedom on the Net

Most free Least free

Access to information can transform lives. It can help lift people out of poverty, promote gender equality, and create opportunities for youth. However, its transformative potential is bounded by local, social, political, and economic forces. While ICT infrastructure is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the physical tools that provide access to information are not enough. To help create more just and equal societies, the access must be meaningful.

About the DA2I

Development and Access to Information (DA2I) is a joint project between the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the University of Washington Information School. It demonstrates how access to information and libraries contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

© 2017 by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the Technology and Social Change Group, University of Washington. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

IFLAP.O. Box 953122509 CH Den HaagNetherlandswww.ifl a.org

Contact: DA2I@ifl a.orgWebsite: DA2I.ifl a.org