Over 57 Percent of Families in Bangladesh Now Have Internet Access

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) is steadily rising across the country, with a growing trend among the general public to connect digitally.

The latest survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) reflects this positive shift, revealing that 57.4 percent of households in Bangladesh now have internet access. This marks an increase from the 55.1 percent recorded in the annual report of the previous 2024-25 fiscal year.

According to the BBS report, internet usage grew significantly during the third quarter (January-March 2026) of the current fiscal year. This growth was evident at both individual and household levels.

However, personal mobile phone ownership experienced a slight dip during this period, marking the first decline after two consecutive quarters of growth.
The data indicates that 58.6 percent of the population aged 5 and above used the internet during the January-March quarter. This rate stood at 48.9 percent in the first quarter (July-September 2025) and rose to 58.4 percent in the second quarter (October-December 2025).

Following this momentum, a substantial leap was observed in the third quarter. Conversely, personal mobile phone ownership marginally decreased to 65.4 percent from 65.5 percent in the second quarter, though it was 56.5 percent in the opening quarter.

Despite the slight drop in personal ownership, the overall mobile phone usage rate did not decline. Including shared usage, the overall utilization rate reached 89.5 percent, up from 89.4 percent in the previous quarter. At the same time, computer usage is seeing a gradual rise, increasing to 11.7 percent in the third quarter from 10 percent and 11.4 percent in the preceding two quarters, respectively. This signals growing acceptance of digital devices across the country.

At the household level, mobile phone ownership remains stable, almost hitting saturation at 98.9 percent. Crucially, the number of households using smartphones is on a steady rise. Last fiscal year, 72.7 percent of families owned smartphones, which has now increased to 73.4 percent in the third quarter of this year. Conversely, the use of landlines faces a long-term decline, slipping from 0.8 percent last fiscal year to just 0.7 percent. Currently, 98.2 percent of households rely entirely on mobile phones for communication.

Furthermore, consumption of media like television and radio remains stagnant. Electricity connectivity across the country also showed a slight downward trend, moving from 98.9 percent in the first quarter to 98.5 percent in the third quarter.

Data for this survey was gathered from 2,568 sample areas nationwide. A total of 61,632 families were interviewed each quarter, totaling 246,528 households annually, with data collected by 214 trained fieldworkers. This is the second large-scale ICT survey conducted by BBS since 2013, ensuring district-level representation.

The Bureau of Statistics stated that these quarterly reports will eventually be consolidated into a comprehensive annual report. This data will be integrated into 22 indicators of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), assisting in monitoring progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at both global and national levels. This continuous development is expected to accelerate the country's overall digital transformation.
//DBTech/MR/EK//