Côte d’Ivoire climbs in global digital economy ranking with 4% rise

The Côte d’Ivoire has made significant strides in its digital economy, as highlighted in the 2026 edition of the ICT Development Index (IDI) released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Over the past year, the country expanded its digital footprint, boosting 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 seamlessly with the strategic priorities outlined in the National Development Plan (PND) and the National Digital Development Strategy, which position digital transformation and telecom modernization as key drivers of economic growth.

Leading the pack in West Africa

Within Africa, the Côte d’Ivoire has solidified its position among the continent’s digital leaders. With a score of 72 points, the country ranks 15th on the continent and significantly outperforms the African average of 59 points.

Two pillars of digital success

The ITU’s evaluation framework rests on two foundational pillars. The first, ‘Universal Connectivity’, assesses fundamental digital adoption metrics, including household internet access, individual internet usage, and mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. Here, the 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, exceeding the regional African average of 65 points.

Strong infrastructure and affordable access

The Côte d’Ivoire excels in mobile broadband coverage, with 3G and 4G/LTE networks reaching 98% and 90% of the population, respectively. Additionally, retail prices for mobile data and voice plans remain highly affordable, accounting for just 1.8% of the national gross income per capita—translating to a financial accessibility score of 95.8 out of 100. Fixed broadband plan prices stand at 4.8% of the national gross income per capita, yielding a financial accessibility score of 87 points.

Market penetration figures further highlight the country’s 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 mobile broadband subscriptions have reached 84.1 per 100 inhabitants.

Opportunities for deeper digital engagement

Despite these achievements, there remains room for improvement in capital allocation and deeper digital usage. Mobile broadband data consumption stands at 32.7 gigabytes per subscription, resulting in a traffic score of 51.5 points. Similarly, fixed broadband traffic averages 893.9 gigabytes per subscription, yielding a normalized score of 73.7 points. These figures suggest that while basic coverage and access are now firmly established, there is substantial potential for growth in advanced digital consumption and high-bandwidth usage.

Africa’s digital leaders

In the continental ranking, 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 the Seychelles (84.4 points). The top 10 is rounded out by Tunisia (80.1 points), Cape Verde (79.8 points), Egypt (79.6 points), Eswatini (78.9 points), and Botswana (77.7 points). Closing out the top 15 are Gabon (76.2 points), Ghana (75.6 points), Senegal (72.8 points), Namibia (72.2 points), and the Côte d’Ivoire (72 points).