Internet use and fixed broadband measure different things

The internet-use estimate counts people

The series measures individuals who used the internet in the preceding three months. It counts use from any location on a phone, computer or other device. Kenya and Rwanda were at 34.98% and 31.70% respectively in 2024. Source 1 Source 3

One fixed subscription can serve several people

Fixed subscriptions include qualifying fibre, cable, DSL, satellite and fixed wireless service. Rwanda and Ethiopia recorded 0.60 and 0.59 subscriptions per 100 people respectively in 2024. A connection can serve a home or workplace shared by more than one internet user. Source 2 Source 4

A change in subscriptions does not give the change in usage

In Kenya the internet-use series rose from 29.41% in 2022 to 34.98% in 2024. Fixed subscriptions rose from 1.48 to 3.04 per 100 people. Subtracting the second rate from the first would not give the share using mobile internet. Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4

The chart uses pairs and the table keeps incomplete years

The 2024 data give internet use of 27.94% in Somalia and 8.60% in Burundi, with no fixed-subscription figure for either in that year’s extract. South Sudan’s most recent internet-use figure in the extract is 6.67% for 2019. The table preserves reported years without filling gaps with zero. Source 1 Source 2

Correction, 11 November 2026

Ethiopia’s 2024 rate is 0.59 fixed subscriptions per 100 people when rounded to two decimals. An earlier version of the copy rounded it to 0.60. Source 2

Sources

• ITU, individuals using the internet via the World Bank API
• ITU, fixed broadband subscriptions via the World Bank API
• ITU and World Bank, definition of an internet user
• ITU and World Bank, definition of a fixed broadband subscription