Côte d’Ivoire has achieved remarkable strides in its digital economy, as revealed by the 2026 edition of the ICT Development Index (IDI) published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Over the past year, the nation significantly expanded its digital footprint, with its national score rising from 69.5 points in 2025 to 72 points in 2026, marking an impressive increase of approximately 4%.
This upward trajectory underscores the profound impact of sustained investments in infrastructure and widespread market adoption. It aligns perfectly with the strategic directives outlined in the National Development Plan (PND) and the National Digital Development Strategy, which have positioned the digitalization of the economy and the modernization of telecommunications infrastructure as pivotal drivers of national growth.
On the African continent, Côte d’Ivoire is solidifying its position among the elite. With a score of 72 points, the country ranks 15th in Africa, substantially exceeding the continental average of 59 points.
To fully grasp the dynamics behind this strong performance, it is crucial to examine the two fundamental pillars supporting the ITU’s evaluation framework. The first component, the ‘Universal Connectivity’ pillar, assesses basic digital adoption, including household internet access, individual internet usage, and the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. In this dimension, Côte d’Ivoire recorded a score of 64.9 points, significantly higher than the African average benchmark of 38.1 points.
The second component, the ‘Meaningful Connectivity’ pillar, measures operational factors such as mobile network coverage, fixed and mobile data traffic per subscription, device ownership, and tariff affordability. Côte d’Ivoire achieved a robust score of 79 points in this category, surpassing the regional African average of 65 points.
Extensive mobile broadband network coverage stands out as one of the country’s primary strengths, with 3G and 4G/LTE networks reaching 98% and 90% of the population, respectively. Furthermore, retail prices for mobile data and voice packages remain exceptionally attractive, representing only 1.8% of the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, translating to an impressive affordability index of 95.8 out of 100. Fixed broadband package prices are also accessible, at 4.8% of GNI per capita, yielding an affordability index of 87 points.
In terms of market penetration, 73.1% of individuals own a mobile phone, while 70.8% actively use the internet. Additionally, 58.7% of households benefit from home internet access, and the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions has reached 84.1 per 100 inhabitants.
Despite these significant achievements, certain specific performance indicators suggest there is still room for capital allocation and intensified usage. High-speed mobile data consumption averages 32.7 gigabytes per subscription, resulting in a traffic score of 51.5 points. Similarly, fixed high-speed traffic averages 893.9 gigabytes per subscription, yielding a normalized score of 73.7 points. These figures indicate that while basic coverage and access are now well-established, deeper digital consumption and higher bandwidth utilization still offer substantial growth potential.
Within the regional landscape, Morocco leads the continent with an IDI score of 89.2 points, followed by Mauritius (89.1 points), Algeria (87.8 points), South Africa (86.4 points), and Seychelles (84.4 points). The continental Top 10 is completed by Tunisia (80.1 points), Cape Verde (79.8 points), Egypt (79.6 points), Eswatini (78.9 points), and Botswana (77.7 points). Immediately following this leading group are Gabon (76.2 points), Ghana (75.6 points), Senegal (72.8 points), Namibia (72.2 points), and Côte d’Ivoire (72 points), which rounds out this Top 15 of African digital economies.