Côte d’Ivoire surges ahead in global digital economy rankings

Côte d’Ivoire has made remarkable strides in the digital economy, as reflected in the 2026 edition of the ICT Development Index (IDI) published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Over the past year, the country boosted its national score from 69.5 in 2025 to 72 in 2026, marking a 4% improvement and underscoring its commitment to digital transformation.

This upward trend stems from sustained investments in digital infrastructure and broader market adoption, aligning with the country’s strategic priorities. The National Development Plan (NDP) and the National Digital Development Strategy have positioned digitalization and telecom modernization as cornerstones of economic growth, driving both accessibility and connectivity.

On the continental stage, Côte d’Ivoire is solidifying its position among Africa’s digital leaders. With a score of 72 points, the country ranks 15th in Africa and significantly outperforms the continental average of 59 points.

To grasp the drivers of this success, it’s crucial to examine the two structural pillars that form the basis of the ITU’s evaluation framework. The first, ‘Universal Connectivity’, assesses foundational digital adoption, including household internet access, individual internet usage, and active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Here, Côte d’Ivoire scores 64.9 points—well above Africa’s average of 38.1 points.

The second pillar, ‘Meaningful Connectivity’, evaluates operational factors such as mobile network coverage, fixed and mobile data traffic per subscription, device ownership, and the affordability of services. The country achieves a strong score of 79 points, surpassing the regional average of 65 points.

One of Côte d’Ivoire’s standout strengths is its mobile broadband coverage. Both 3G and 4G/LTE networks reach 98% and 90% of the population, respectively. Additionally, mobile data and voice plans remain highly affordable, costing just 1.8% of the national gross income (GNI) per capita, yielding a financial accessibility index of 95.8 out of 100. Fixed broadband plans are similarly priced at 4.8% of GNI per capita, with a financial accessibility index of 87 points.

Market penetration highlights further progress: 73.1% of individuals own a mobile phone, while 70.8% actively use the internet. Furthermore, 58.7% of households have home internet access, and there are now 84.1 active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

Despite these achievements, there’s still room for growth in advanced digital usage and high-bandwidth consumption. Mobile broadband data usage averages 32.7 gigabytes per subscription, translating to a traffic score of 51.5 points. Similarly, fixed broadband data usage stands at 893.9 gigabytes per subscription, resulting in a normalized score of 73.7 points. These figures suggest that while foundational connectivity is well-established, deeper digital engagement and higher bandwidth usage present significant opportunities for further expansion.

In the regional context, Morocco leads Africa with an IDI score of 89.2 points, followed by Mauritius (89.1), Algeria (87.8), South Africa (86.4), and Seychelles (84.4). The top 10 is completed by Tunisia (80.1), Cabo Verde (79.8), Egypt (79.6), Eswatini (78.9), and Botswana (77.7). Rounding out the top 15 are Gabon (76.2), Ghana (75.6), Senegal (72.8), Namibia (72.2), and Côte d’Ivoire (72), which closes the list.