The State of Broadband 2016: Broadband Catalyzing Sustainable Development report by the ITU/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development has ranked Tajikistan 149th among 191 nations in terms of Internet using.
Azerbaijan tops the CIS countries in Internet using. The report has ranked it 36th. Azerbaijan is followed by Russia (43rd) and Kazakhstan (45th).
Armenia has been ranked 72nd, Moldova — 92nd, Ukraine – 93rd, Uzbekistan 106th, Kyrgyzstan – 120th, and Turkmenistan – 160th.
This year's figures show that Iceland continues to have the highest percentage of individuals using the Internet (98.2%). The numbers are 93.48% for Bahrain, 92.88% for Qatar, 91.24% for the UAE, and 69.62% for Saudi Arabia.
The lowest levels of Internet usage are found in sub-Saharan Africa, with less than 3% of the population using the Internet in a number of countries including Chad (2.7%), Sierra Leone (2.5%), Niger (2.2%), Somalia (1.8%) and Eritrea (1.1%).
The report notes that in total, there are now 91 economies where over 50% of the population is online, up from 79 in 2015.
According to the latest ITU estimates, there will be 3.5 billion people online by the end of 2016, but more than half the world’s population (some 3.9 billion people) will still be offline, and unable to connect regularly, if at all. But in the 48 UN-designated Least Developed Countries (LDCs), still only around one in seven people will be online at the end of 2016.
Since its establishment in 2010 by ITU and UNESCO, the Broadband Commission has sought to promote the adoption of effective and inclusive broadband policies and practices in countries around the world, with a view to promoting development and empowering each and every individual and society through the benefits of broadband.
