Internet growth and digital transformation go hand-in-hand both in Africa as well as globally. In order for a country to keep up with the digital revolution, more commonly known as the fourth industrial revolution, it needs to ensure that the majority of the population has a reliable internet connection.
This revolution has seen internet growth become a leading item on every African government’s agenda. This increased focus on providing citizens with internet access has seen an exponential growth in internet accessibility since 2000, especially on the African continent.
Drawing on information from Internet World Stats, here is a list of the 10 African countries showing the biggest and fastest internet growth:
10) Equatorial Guinea
This central African country has a population of 894,464 individuals. Equatorial Guinea had only 500 internet users in the year 2000. Now with 181,657 internet users in 2017, the country has seen a growth of 36,231.4% seeing them ranked as 10th on this list.
9) Algeria
Situated in North Africa, Algeria has a population of 41,063,753 individuals. With only 50,000 of Algeria’s population having internet access in 2000, the growth to 18,580,000 has seen an increase of 37,060.0 %. This growth sees Algeria ranked 9th on the list.
8) Chad
A landlocked central African country, Chad, has a population of 14,965,482 individuals. In the year 2000, Chad only 1,000 people who had access to the internet. Now with 387,063 of the population having access to the internet, Chad has seen a growth of 38,606.3 % making them the 8th fastest on the list.
7) Nigeria
West African giant Nigeria has a population of 191,835,936. Nigeria had only 200,000 people connected to the internet in 2000. This has risen to 93,591,174 people recording a 46,695.6 % growth, which ultimately sees them come in at number 7 on this list.
6) Rwanda
Rwanda is a landlocked East African country with a population of 12,159,586. With only 5,000 people having access to the internet in Rwanda in 2000, the rise to 3,724,678 has seen a 74,393.6 % growth. This growth sees Rwanda ranked 6th on this list of fastest and biggest internet growth in Africa.
5) Liberia
Liberia is a West African country with a population of 4,730,437. In the year 2000, Liberia had only 500 people with access to the internet. A growth of 78,912.6 % has seen this number rise to 395,063 and see Liberia ranked 6th on this list.
4) Congo
Central African country Congo, not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of Congo, has a population of 4,866,243 individuals. With only 500 of them with internet access in the year 2000, the rise to 400,000 has seen a growth of 79,900.0 %. This growth sees the Congo rated as 4th on this list.
3) Ethiopia
This East African country has a population of 104,344,901. With only 10,000 having access to the internet in 2000, the rise to 11,538,000 has seen an internet growth of 115,280.0 %. This growth rate sees Ethiopia come in at number 3 on this list.
2) Somalia
Somalia is an East African country which has a population of 11,391,962. Only 200 people in Somalia had access to the internet in the year 2000, this number has increased to 660,000 which is a growth rate of 329,900.0 %. This sees Somalia come in at number 2 on this list of the biggest and fastest internet growth in Africa.
1) The Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country with a population of 82,242,685. In the year 2000, the Democratic Republic of Congo only had 500 people who had access to the internet. This has now risen to 3,101,210 which is a growth of 620,142.0 %. This growth sees the Democratic Republic of Congo come in at number 1 on this list of the African countries with the fastest and biggest internet growth.