Côte d’Ivoire advances in global digital economy rankings with 4% growth

Ivory Coast’s digital leap recognized in global ICT rankings

The Ivory Coast has marked a significant milestone in its digital transformation journey, as revealed by the latest ICT Development Index (IDI) report. The country’s score surged from 69.5 in 2025 to 72 in 2026, reflecting a remarkable 4% increase—one of the most impressive gains in the region. This upward trajectory underscores the nation’s commitment to building a robust digital economy through sustained investments in infrastructure and market-driven adoption.

The progress aligns seamlessly with the Ivory Coast’s broader economic strategy, particularly its National Development Plan (PND) and the National Digital Development Strategy. Both frameworks prioritize digitalization and telecom modernization as key drivers of economic growth and social progress.

Regional standing and continental benchmarks

Within Africa’s digital landscape, the Ivory Coast has firmly established itself among the top performers. With a score of 72 points, the nation ranks 15th on the continent and significantly outperforms the African average of 59 points. This achievement places it ahead of several peers, demonstrating its competitive edge in harnessing digital technologies for development.

Key pillars of digital growth

The ITU’s evaluation framework is built on two core pillars, both of which the Ivory Coast has strengthened in recent years:

• Universal connectivity: This measures foundational digital adoption, including household internet access, individual internet usage, and active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. The Ivory Coast scored 64.9 points here—far outpacing the African average of 38.1 points. Key indicators include a 73.1% mobile phone penetration rate, 70.8% internet usage among individuals, and 58.7% of households with home internet access. Additionally, the country boasts 84.1 active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 people.
• Meaningful connectivity: This evaluates operational factors such as mobile network coverage, fixed and mobile data traffic per subscription, device ownership, and financial accessibility of services. The Ivory Coast achieved a strong score of 79 points here, exceeding the regional average of 65 points. Mobile broadband networks (3G and 4G/LTE) now cover 98% and 90% of the population, respectively, while mobile data and voice tariffs remain highly affordable, costing just 1.8% of the national gross income per capita.

Infrastructure and affordability drive adoption

The country’s digital progress is underpinned by two critical factors: widespread mobile network coverage and competitive pricing. Over 90% of the population has access to 4G/LTE, while fixed broadband tariffs account for 4.8% of the national income per capita—both figures reflecting strong affordability. These conditions have fueled a surge in digital engagement, with mobile data consumption averaging 32.7 GB per subscription and fixed broadband traffic reaching 893.9 GB per subscription. However, there is still untapped potential in deeper digital usage and high-bandwidth applications.

Where the Ivory Coast stands in Africa’s digital race

The Ivory Coast’s 72-point score places it just behind Senegal (72.8 points) and Namibia (72.2 points) in the continental rankings. The top performers on the continent include Morocco (89.2 points), Mauritius (89.1 points), and Algeria (87.8 points), followed by South Africa (86.4 points) and Seychelles (84.4 points). The Ivory Coast’s performance, while commendable, highlights the ongoing need to enhance data consumption and broadband penetration to close the gap with regional leaders.