Mobile data became affordable in 36 more countries since 2021

Claim types Fact

International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ICT Price Baskets, historical data series 2008-2025 (Dec 2025 release; workbook ITU_ICTPriceBaskets_2008-2025.xlsx, economies sheet, last modified 15 Oct 2026), indicator 'Data-only mobile broadband, 2GB', price as a percentage of monthly GNI per capita (the same basket in both years: 2 GB per month, data only). Read from the ITU workbook via the progrss vault (§4.11, itu-datahub passes value_checks: 3 matches, 0 mismatches). Set: the 187 countries with a value in both 2021 and 2025 (aggregates excluded; Curaçao and Aruba are in the set but may sit off the map grid). The 2% line is the affordability mark the ITU and the UN Broadband Commission use for entry-level broadband; it is a threshold, not an index. Counts are progrss calculations: 96 countries at or below 2% in 2021, 129 in 2025; 36 crossed (listed on the chart in yellow), 3 moved the other way (Curaçao 1.93 → 2.07, Palau 1.89 → 2.12, Myanmar 1.67 → 2.88). Median of the 187 prices: 1.94% in 2021, 1.07% in 2025. Belize sits exactly at 2.00%. Prices are converted by the ITU from local currency; the denominator (GNI per capita) is revised each year, so some of a fall can come from income growth or revision rather than a cheaper plan; the chart shows the share of income, not the dollar price. Cheapest-plan rules follow the ITU method (cheapest plan of the largest operators with the stated allowance). 2021 is a pandemic year; the count rose every year to 2025 (96, 103, 125, 136, 140 on each year's full reporting set). Claim type: Fact (ITU-published prices); counts and medians are progrss calculations. ITU's headline basket moved from 2 GB to 5 GB in 2025 (revised method); on that basket 130 of 205 economies met 2% in 2025 and 138 of 202 in 2026 (ITU Facts and Figures 2026). This plate keeps the 2 GB basket in both years for a like-for-like comparison. Live re-read on itu.int confirmed the workbook edition and the 2% target.