Nepal returns to global ICT Index but digital use still lags infrastructure growth

Nepal has re-entered the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) global ICT Development Index with a score of 68.1, marking its return after a three-year hiatus. The country had previously failed to qualify due to incomplete data submissions.

The latest assessment, however, highlights a persistent challenge: a wide disparity between the growth of digital infrastructure and its effective utilization by the population. Nepal achieved a strong score of 83.7 in the 'Meaningful Connectivity' pillar, which assesses factors like network availability, device ownership, and digital skills. Yet, it scored a considerably lower 52.5 in the 'Universal Connectivity' pillar, which measures internet adoption and actual usage patterns.

This significant gap, described by the ITU as a 'usage gap,' indicates that internet networks are expanding at a much faster rate than people are productively using digital services. The report notes that such disparities typically narrow as countries become wealthier, with high-income economies showing a much smaller difference between these two pillars.

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Our infrastructure expansion has been encouraging, but we still have considerable work to do to improve digital usage.

Nepal's overall score also falls short of the global average of 79 and the Asia-Pacific average of 80. Within South Asia, Nepal is positioned in the middle, trailing behind Bhutan (86.4) and Sri Lanka (78.2), but ahead of Bangladesh (68.9) and Pakistan (67.7). The report suggests Nepal could benefit from studying the strategies of neighboring countries that have successfully integrated infrastructure investment with robust legal frameworks, digital literacy programs, and effective implementation.

Min Prasad Aryal, spokesperson for the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA), acknowledged the need for a shift in focus. "Our infrastructure expansion has been encouraging, but we still have considerable work to do to improve digital usage," Aryal stated. He emphasized that the NTA plans to develop targeted strategies to enhance Nepal's standing in future index editions, stressing the importance of moving beyond mere network coverage extension to ensuring high-quality and productive use of digital infrastructure.

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We plan to prepare targeted strategies and action plans based on different indicators so that Nepal can improve its position in future editions of the index.