Long description

An infographic of global Broadband Affordability. Two global maps are shown. The upper map depicts the cost of broadband subscription as a percentage of yearly income. The countries with the highest cost are in sub-Saharan Africa and central Asia, whilst the lowest costs, broadly speaking, are found in North America, Oceania and Europe. In approximately 15 countries the cost of broadband is greater than 100% of the mean annual income. The lower map depicts the cost of one month of broadband subscription in 2011. The highest costs (over 100 US$ per month) are found in Tajikistan, Iraq, Djibouti, Malawi, Namibia, Congo, Guinea and Cuba. However the overall distribution is less generalisable than for the other map, with countries like Australia and Norway towards the more expensive end of the spectrum, and Egypt, India and Mongolia at the cheaper end. The infographic also includes a small line graph illustrating the cost of broadband subscription over the period 2008-11 by continent. In 2008 the cost in sub-Saharan Africa was more than twice as high as anywhere else, but this dropped dramatically, although it remained slightly higher than other continents by 2011. Most continents saw a slight decrease in cost over the period, although there was a slight increase in Oceania and North America.