Bangladesh Betters ICT Benchmark but Behind

Bangladesh has advanced by 5 percent in the ICT Development Index (IDI) as a lower-middle-income country, with its score reaching 64.9 in 2025 compared to 62.0 in 2024. In 2022, based on collected data, Bangladesh’s IDI score was 61.1 out of 100, while the global average among 170 countries stood at 74.8, and the average for lower-middle-income nations was 64.8.

According to the 2025 review of ICT progress in 164 countries, Bangladesh’s global average score is now 78, while the average for lower-middle-income countries is 66.

The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) attributed Bangladesh’s improvement to its high mobile network coverage—44.7 percent of the population now has access to at least 3G services, and 85.1 percent to at least 4G/LTE services. Significant mobile broadband penetration and a rising proportion of active internet users also contributed to the progress.

The ICT Development Index (IDI) 2025 has been compiled with 2023 data, prioritizing “universal connectivity” and “meaningful connectivity.” It shows that 44.5 percent of individuals in Bangladesh use the internet, while household internet penetration stands at 43.6 percent. Mobile internet penetration is at 62 subscriptions per 100 people.

Further progress has been recorded in broadband usage per subscriber. Bangladesh’s fixed broadband subscription traffic score is now 1,181.6 GB per year. In terms of affordability, the broadband internet basket price represents 1.4 percent of gross national income per capita, while mobile internet stands at 1.7 percent. Broadband penetration now covers 41.3 percent per 100 people, with an average fixed broadband subscription traffic of 76.8 GB. The affordability score of broadband relative to per capita income is 98.7.

Despite the improvement, Bangladesh’s overall IDI score of 64.9 remains below the lower-middle-income country average, as well as the average of Asia-Pacific nations. Last year (2024), the country’s score was 62, and in 2023 it was 61.1, indicating modest year-on-year progress.

Among neighboring and similarly placed economies, Bangladesh continues to lag behind Myanmar (69.7), Sri Lanka (71.4), Maldives (81.7), Vietnam (86), and Bhutan (85.7). Notably, India’s name does not appear in this year’s index.