Nigeria is in 109th place in the world with an index 44 times lower than the global average in terms of fair payment to access the internet, according to Surfshark’s Global Internet Value Index (IVi), which identifies countries that are overpaying for their internet connection plan.
According to the January data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), internet subscriptions stand at 156,244,368 with GSM accounting for 155,675,178. While fixed accounted for 16,144, ISP (wired and wireless) accounted for 204,810.
Oceania and Europe lead the world in internet value, while internet affordability in North America, South America, and Africa is below average. Globally, only four out of 10 people get their internet at fair prices, while the remaining 61per cent overpay for internet they get.
IVi is calculated by dividing each country’s internet speed by internet affordability to determine which countries are overpaying for their internet. According to Surfshark’s data, Nigeria ranks 109th globally with an index of 0.0017, which is 44 times lower than the global average, meaning Nigerians are overpaying for the internet they get compared to other countries worldwide.
In terms of regional position, Nigeria ranks 16th with its index 56per cent lower than Africa’s average. Nigeria is in 12th place in Sub-Saharan Africa. Countries such as South Africa and Ghana ranked 70th and 105th respectively both overpaying for the internet they get.