Web Usage Climbs in Africa
In Africa, Internet usage is growing at a faster rate than any other region in the world.
Internet connectivity in Africa is growing at a faster pace than any other region worldwide according to information from AllAfrica Global Media.
Innovative technologies allow access in smaller cities and rural areas. Data from the CIA’s “World Factbook” counts 23.5 million Internet users throughout all African countries. Of just over 900 million African residents, about 2.5 percent are online, compared to the worldwide average of 16 percent. Since 2000, the number of Internet users in Africa has grown 400 percent.
The largest populations of Internet users exist in South Africa (3.6 million users); Egypt (5 million users); Morocco (3.5 million users) and Kenya (1.5 million users).
The number of regular Internet users may be larger than reported due to access through cyber cafés and other multi-person access points.
AllAfrica Global Media used data gathered by Internet World Stats and London-based consultancy Balancing Act. The World Factbook, published by the CIA, uses a multiple sources to gather its data.
| African Internet Population by Country, April 2006 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Population | Internet Users | ISPs |
| Algeria | 32,930,091 | 845,000 | 749 |
| Angola | 12,127,071 | 172,000 | 2,502 |
| Benin | 7,862,944 | 100,000 | 814 |
| Botswana | 1,639,833 | 60,000 | 1,621 |
| Burkina Faso | 13,902,972 | 53,200 | 373 |
| Burundi | 8,090,068 | 25,000 | 155 |
| Cameroon | 17,340,702 | 167,000 | 34 |
| Cape Verde | 420,979 | 25,000 | 155 |
| Central African Rep. | 4,303,356 | 9,000 | 13 |
| Chad | 9,944,201 | 60,000 | 7 |
| Comoros | 690,948 | 8,000 | 6 |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 62,660,551 | 50,000 | 188 |
| Congo, Republic of the | 3,702,314 | 36,000 | 46 |
| Cote d’lvoire | 17,654,843 | 300,000 | 2,015 |
| Djibouti | 486,530 | 9,000 | 506 |
| Egypt | 78,887,007 | 5 million | 1,702 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 540,109 | 5,000 | 18 |
| Etritea | 4,786,994 | 50,000 | 1,047 |
| Ethiopia | 74,777,981 | 113,000 | 87 |
| Gabon | 1,424,906 | 40,000 | 310 |
| Gambia, The | 1,641,564 | 49,000 | 13 |
| Ghana | 22,409,572 | 368,000 | 384 |
| Guinea | 9,690,222 | 46,000 | 364 |
| Guinea-Bissaau | 1,442,029 | 26,000 | 5 |
| Kenya | 34,707,817 | 1.5 million | 11,645 |
| Lesotho | 2,022,331 | 43,000 | 154 |
| Liberia | 3,042,004 | 1,000 | 5 |
| Libya | 5,900,754 | 205,000 | 47 |
| Madagascar | 18,595,469 | 90,000 | 805 |
| Malawi | 13,013,926 | 46,100 | 305 |
| Mali | 11,716,829 | 50,000 | 270 |
| Mauritania | 3,177,388 | 14,000 | 21 |
| Mauritius | 1,240,827 | 180,000 | 4,954 |
| Morocco | 33,241,259 | 3,500,000 | 2,538 |
| Mozambique | 19,686,505 | 138,000 | 7,228 |
| Namibia | 2,044,147 | 75,000 | 3,273 |
| Niger | 12,525,094 | 24,000 | 137 |
| Nigeria | 131,859,731 | 1,769,700 | 1,535 |
| Reunion | 787,584 | 200,000 | 29 |
| Rwanda | 8,648,248 | 38,000 | 1,588 |
| Sao Tome & Principe | 193,413 | 20,000 | 1,021 |
| Senegal | 11,987,121 | 482,000 | 569 |
| Seychelles | 81,541 | 20,000 | 525 |
| Sierra Leone | 6,005,250 | 2,005 | 277 |
| Somolia | 8,863,338 | 89,000 | 2 |
| South Africa | 44,187,637 | 3,600,000 | 460,572 |
| Sudan | 41,236,378 | 1,140,000 | 1 |
| Swaziland | 1,136,334 | 36,000 | 2,401 |
| Tanzania | 37,445,392 | 333,000 | 9,241 |
| Togo | 5,548,702 | 221,000 | 205 |
| Tunisia | 10,175,014 | 835,000 | 426 |
| Uganda | 28,195,754 | 200,000 | 2,496 |
| Western Sahara | 273,008 | N/A | N/A |
| Zambia | 11,502,010 | 231,000 | 2,789 |
| Zimbabwe | 12,236,805 | 820,000 | 6,582 |
| Source: “The World Factbook, 2006” | |||
