Member States of the International Telecommunication Union have endorsed a new global roadmap to accelerate universal digital connectivity, as the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25) concluded in Baku, Azerbaijan. The two-week gathering brought together around 2,000 participants from 153 countries and the State of Palestine under Resolution 99.
The resulting Baku Action Plan outlines a four-year agenda (2026–2029) for human-centred digital development, prioritising underserved regions, vulnerable populations, and developing economies. The plan aims to close the connectivity gap for the estimated 2.2 billion people still offline, despite the dramatic global transformation in digital access over the past three decades.
Alongside the conference, the ITU released its Global Connectivity Report 2025, a comprehensive assessment of global progress. According to the report, roughly 6 billion people—about three-quarters of the world’s population—are now online. But the gaps remain significant and structural.
Regional disparities are especially stark: Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are approaching 95% universal coverage, while internet use in Africa remains at just over one in three. Affordability, uneven infrastructure, limited device access, and digital literacy barriers continue to slow progress in many regions.
The report also highlights the persistent gender digital divide, reflected in a global parity score of 0.92, with progress stalling. Women in low- and middle-income regions—especially in Africa and South Asia—are far less likely to be online than men.
Further challenges include misinformation, the health risks of excessive screen time, and the environmental impact of digitalisation, such as energy-intensive data centres and rising e-waste volumes.
The full report is available for free on the ITU website.
