"[...] This publication provides an overview of the state of digital connectivity in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), drawing on the data from ITU’s flagship publication Facts and Figures 2022. Since the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries in 2011, progress has been made in terms of connectivity in the LDCs. The share of the population in LDCs using the Internet increased almost ten-fold to reach 36 per cent. Accessing the Internet has become cheaper and easier and mobile broadband has gone from being non-existent to being ubiquitous. But progress has been from a very low base and so much remains to be done. SDG Target 9.c called for closing the access gap in the LDCs by 2020. Yet, three years past this deadline, almost one fifth of the population cannot even access the Internet. Among those who can access, many do not, because of multiple barriers, ranging from awareness to skills and costs. Over the past decade, the connectivity challenge has become more complex and demanding. Bringing everyone online is no longer enough. Meaningful connectivity – the possibility to enjoy a safe, satisfying, enriching, productive and affordable online experience – is the new imperative. For LDCs, this remains a major challenge. The digital divide between LDCs and the rest of the world shows little sign of narrowing. The risk is all too evident. As the world becomes increasingly adept at leveraging the Internet for value creation, LDCs risk falling further behind." (Foreword)

"A final word of caution and a plea: a significant portion of the figures presented here is based on estimates made by ITU. Reliable, and timely official statistics from LDCs remain very scant. To move forward in global development efforts, we must strengthen national data systems and improve our knowledge." (Page iii)