Côte d’Ivoire’s digital economy surges 4% in global tech index

The Côte d’Ivoire has made significant strides in its digital economy, as revealed by the 2026 edition of the ICT Development Index (IDI) released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Over the past year, the country has strengthened its digital footprint, pushing its national score from 69.5 points in 2025 to 72 points in 2026—a remarkable 4% increase.

This growth underscores the tangible impact of sustained investments in infrastructure and market adoption. It aligns closely with the strategic goals outlined in the National Development Plan (PND) and the National Digital Development Strategy, which prioritize digitalization of the economy and modernization of telecom infrastructure as key drivers of progress.

Within Africa, the Côte d’Ivoire is solidifying its position among the continent’s digital leaders. With a score of 72 points, it ranks 15th on the continent, significantly outpacing the African average of 59 points.

Unpacking the ITU’s evaluation framework

The ITU’s assessment is built on two core pillars that shape the IDI ranking. The first, ‘Universal Connectivity’, evaluates foundational digital adoption metrics, including household internet access, individual internet usage, and active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. On this measure, the Côte d’Ivoire scores 64.9 points—well above the African average of 38.1 points.

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

Key achievements in infrastructure and affordability

The country’s mobile broadband network stands out as a major strength. 3G coverage reaches 98% of the population, while 4G/LTE networks cover 90%. Additionally, retail pricing for mobile data and voice plans remains highly competitive, accounting for just 1.8% of the national gross income per capita—a financial accessibility index of 95.8 out of 100. Fixed broadband plan costs are similarly affordable, at 4.8% of gross income per capita, yielding an accessibility index of 87 points.

On the consumer front, mobile phone penetration stands at 73.1%, with 70.8% of individuals actively using the internet. Home internet access is available to 58.7% of households, and there are now 84.1 active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants.

Growth potential in advanced digital usage

Despite these gains, there remains room for improvement in areas such as capital allocation and deeper digital engagement. Average mobile broadband data consumption is 32.7 gigabytes per subscription, translating to a traffic score of 51.5 points. Fixed broadband usage averages 893.9 gigabytes per subscription, yielding a normalized score of 73.7 points. These figures suggest that while basic access and coverage are now firmly established, there is still substantial untapped potential in advanced digital consumption and high-bandwidth utilization.

Regional digital rankings: where Côte d’Ivoire stands

On the African stage, Morocco leads with an IDI score of 89.2 points, followed closely by Mauritius (89.1 points), Algeria (87.8 points), South Africa (86.4 points), and Seychelles (84.4 points). Completing the top ten are Tunisia (80.1 points), Cape Verde (79.8 points), Egypt (79.6 points), Eswatini (78.9 points), and Botswana (77.7 points). Just beyond this elite group are Gabon (76.2 points), Ghana (75.6 points), Senegal (72.8 points), Namibia (72.2 points), and the Côte d’Ivoire (72 points), closing out the top 15 digital economies in Africa.