ITU’s Measuring Digital Development – Facts and Figures: Focus on Small Island Developing States examines the current state of digital connectivity in SIDS, highlighting the latest trends through a set of key indicators.
Connectivity plays a crucial role in addressing the unique challenges and vulnerabilities faced by these countries. Over the past decade, the share of people using the Internet in SIDS has surged from one-third to two-thirds of the population, and the digital gender gap has nearly closed. However, significant supply-side constraints persist in terms of access, affordability, and capacity, attributable to the unique structural features of SIDS - remoteness, size, and geography - and the need for enhanced ICT regulation. As a result, the digital economy in SIDS is in an early stage of development, presenting significant growth potential, as detailed in a section prepared by UNCTAD.
