Here is the Average Cost of 1GB of Data Around the World

More than half of the world’s population rely on their mobile phone on a daily basis.

Even in a highly competitive market, mobile networks have continued to broaden their reach.

Almost a billion extra people have gained access to mobile data services in the last five years alone.

Despite the increasing Prevalence of these networks globally, the cost of gaining access – particularly mobile data – can vary greatly from country to country.

If you want to know the average price of one gigabyte of data in other countries, then this article is for you.

This chart uses data from Cable.co.uk to show what network providers charge for 1GB of data in 155 different countries and jurisdictions.

Despite the ever-expanding global reach of the mobile economy, it’s clear that it’s not anywhere near complete accessibility.

Differences in mobile data cost

Study authors have pinpointed several vital factors that influence the variations in mobile data rates between countries.

1. Available infrastructure (or lack of it) might sound contradictory, but most service providers rely on a fixed-line connection. Therefore, countries with available infrastructure can offer mobile plans with more data and cheaper rates. This is the case for Italy and India. At the same time, countries with little or no infrastructure rely on more expensive connection alternatives like satellites.
2. Reliance on mobile data: When the primary source of internet in a certain region is mobile data, adoption can become nearly universal. This increased demand typically results in an increase in competing providers, which in turn reduces the cost. An excellent example of this is Kyrgyzstan.
3. Low data consumption: countries with poor infrastructures tend to use less data. The average cost of data in such regions may skew higher since the available mobile plans offer smaller data limits. Examples of companies under this category are Benin and Malawi.
4. The average income of consumers: Mobile services are relatively higher in wealthy nations since most part of the population can afford to pay more; the operating costs for service providers are higher. This is apparent in countries like Germany and Canada.

Cheapest Countries for 1 GB of Data

The cost variation among the cheapest countries for mobile data is still significant. Here’s a list of the top five cheapest countries for one gigabyte of data.

Overall Rank	Country	Average price of 1GB (USD)
1	India	9¢
2	Israel	11¢
3	Kyrgyzstan	21¢
4	Italy	43¢
5	Ukraine	46¢

India is at the number one spot at $0.09 per GB, which is a 65% drop in price compared to the country’s average price in 2019.

But the big question is, why is data so cheap in India? A major factor is the country’s fierce market competition, influenced by Reliance Jio – a telecom company owned by one of the largest conglomerates in India, Reliance Industries.

Launched in 2016, Reliance Jio started offering customers free trial periods and monthly plans for less than a dollar.

This pushed other providers to drop their pricing, crumbling the overall cost of data in the region.

But India’s cheaper-than-usual prices may soon come to an end since the prices are likely unsustainable in the long term.

Another country worth mentioning is Kyrgyzstan, which is ranked third with $0.21 per GB, ahead of Italy and Ukraine.

Given the region’s minimal fixed-line infrastructure and overpopulated rural setting, this ranking comes as a shock.

Researchers believe the low-cost results from the country’s heavy reliance on mobile data as the major source of the internet.

Most Expensive Countries for 1GB of Data

Making the top five list of most expensive countries for one gigabyte of data.

Overall Rank	Country	Average price of 1GB (USD)
155	Malawi	$27.41
154	Benin	$27.22
153	Chad	$23.33
152	Yemen	$15.98
151	Botswana	$13.87

A major player behind the high price of data in SSA is its lack of infrastructure. With overworked networks, the data bundles offered in the region are generally smaller.

This results in a spike in the average cost per GB compared to countries with unlimited packages.

Another factor that influences the high costs of SSA is its lack of market competition. Countries with multiple competing network providers, like Nigeria, tend to have reduced costs.

The Full Breakdown

The table below has a comprehensive list of all 155 countries and jurisdictions included in the research.

It helps showcase the stark contrast in the price of mobile data between the cheapest and most expensive countries globally.

Rank	Country	Average Price of 1GB (USD)
1	India	9¢
2	Isreal	11¢
3	Kyrgyzstan	21¢
4	Italy	43¢
5	Ukraine	46¢
6	Kazakhstan	46¢
7	Somalia	50¢
8	Sri Lanka	51¢
9	Russian Federation	52¢
10	Vietnam	57¢
11	China	61¢
12	Sudan	63¢
13	Indonesia	64¢
14	Algeria	65¢
15	Australia	68¢
16	Pakistan	69¢
17	Poland	70¢
18	Bangladesh	70¢
19	Chile	71¢
20	Turkey	72¢
21	Tanzania	73¢
22	Dominican Republic	74¢
23	Mongolia	74¢
24	Iran	75¢
25	Kuwait	77¢
26	Myanmar	78¢
27	Denmark	80¢
28	France	81¢
29	Nepal	86¢
30	Belarus	89¢
31	Georgia	93¢
32	Ghana	94¢
33	Monaco	98¢
34	Western Sahara	99¢
35	Morocco	99¢
36	Brazil	$1.01
37	Romania	$1.03
38	Jordan	$1.03
39	Kenya	$1.05
40	Armenia	$1.05
41	Austria	$1.08
42	Egypt	$1.09
43	Moldova	$1.12
44	Malaysia	$1.12
45	Thailand	$1.23
46	Estonia	$1.27
47	Uzbekistan	$1.34
48	Ireland	$1.36
49	Zambia	$1.36
50	Tunisia	$1.37
51	Nigeria	$1.39
52	United Kingdom	$1.39
53	Philippines	$1.42
54	El Salvador	$1.45
55	Lesotho	$1.45
56	Argentina	$1.58
57	Slovenia	$1.48
58	Cambodia	$1.50
59	Afghanistan	$1.55
60	Uruguay	$1.58
61	Serbia	$1.60
62	Uganda	$1.62
63	Nicaragua	$1.71
64	Macedonia	$1.75
65	Spain	$1.81
66	Lithuania	$1.85
67	Azerbaijan	$1.86
68	Congo	$1.94
69	Sweden	$2.07
70	Guinea	$2.08
71	Timor-Leste	$2.08
72	Saudi Arabia	$2.12
73	Burundi	$2.12
74	Peru	$2.13
75	Lesotho	$2.13
76	Finland	$2.14
77	Guatemala	$2.17
78	Bulgaria	$2.22
79	Bahrain	$2.27
80	Paraguay	$2.03
81	Ethiopia	$2.44
82	Singapore	$2.47
83	Burkina Faso	$2.47
84	Croatia	$2.48
85	Mauritius	$2.48
86	Hong Kong	$2.55
87	Haiti	$2.74
88	Costa Rica	$2.74
89	Cameroon	$2.75
90	Albania	$2.83
91	Netherlands	$2.98
92	Bosnia and Herzegovina	$3.04
93	Honduras	$3.12
94	Cote d’Ivoire	$3.20
95	Ecuador	$3.24
96	Liberia	$3.25
97	Palestine	$3.26
98	Niger	$3.30
99	Senegal	$3.30
100	Mozambique	$3.33
101	Colombia	$3.46
102	Sierra Leone	$3.69
103	United Arab Emirates	$3.78
104	Latvia	$3.79
105	Lebanon	$3.82
106	Slovakia	$3.84
107	Jamaica	$3.88
108	Japan	$3.91
109	Germany	$4.06
110	Qatar	$4.12
111	Guinea-Bissau	$4.12
112	Mali	$4.12
113	Lao PDR	$4.16
114	Iraq	$4.20
115	South Africa	$4.30
116	Togo	$4.50
117	Oman	$4.58
118	Czech Republic	$4.63
119	Tajikistan	$4.65
120	Libya	$4.73
121	Mexico	$4.77
122	Namibia	$4.78
123	Belgium	$4.88
124	Gabon	$4.89
125	Portugal	$4.97
126	Bolivia	$5.09
127	Gambia	$5.10
128	Norway	$5.28
129	Angola	$5.29
130	Hungary	$5.32
131	Papua New Guinea	$5.40
132	Taiwan	$5.91
133	Trinidad and Tobago	$5.92
134	New Zealand	$6.06
135	Syria	$6.55
136	Panama	$6.69
137	Czech Rpublic	$7.95
138	United States	$8.00
139	Central African Republic	$8.25
140	Switzerland	$8.38
141	Madagascar	$8.81
142	Puerto Rico	$9.17
143	South Korea	$10.94
144	Turkmenistan	$11.44
145	Greece	$12.06
146	Canada	$12.55
147	Equatorial Guinea	$12.78
148	Eswatini	$13.31
149	Cuba	$13.33
150	Cyprus	$13.56

Fascinatingly, the cheapest average cost is 30.000% less than the highest average price.

The Technology Gap

Will we continue to see an increase in the technology gap between countries, or will we attain a point of equal accessibility across the globe?

With the adoption of 5G networks, just seven countries are expected to constitute the majority of 5G-related investments. Only time will tell what this means for global adoption.