International Digital Divide

In the less economically developed countries (LEDC) such as the countries in Africa there is a growing population of people being able to use the advantages of technology. In Africa only 3% of the whole population, which is 922,011,000 have the access to a main phone line. Because of this tiny amount having access to a phone line, a lesser amount will have the access to internet, this 1.6% of the whole country, and Africa is over 25 times bigger than UK!

If we compare the amount of mobile phone owners in Africa than the amount of people that have access to a main phone line, it is more than double at 6.1%. But, if we break Africa down into two parts, Northern and Southern. Southern Africa has a higher percentage across the board, in the amount of people that have access to a main phone line, mobile phone and internet. Southern Africa is considered the ‘richer’ part of Africa; they have more than double the amount of people who have access to internet.

This is a lot lower when compared with a more economically developed country (MEDC) such as UK. In the UK 57% of the whole population have access to the internet. That is an 11% increase in 4 years. This could be down to the UK household capital per person is higher. This allows them to be able to afford the equipment required to access the internet more easily.