Bangladesh lags behind Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka in ICT progress index

Bangladesh still trails behind many neighbouring and peer economies in the global ICT progress index. The picture emerges in the ICT Development Index (IDI) 2025 published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which assessed the advancement of information and communication services in 164 countries based on 2023 data.

According to the report, the global average score is 78 while lower-middle-income countries average 66. Bangladesh scored 64.9, which is not only below this category’s average but also lower than the Asia-Pacific regional average. However, the country has shown gradual progress over the years — scoring 61.1 in 2023, 62 in 2024 and 64.9 this year.

Among neighbouring countries, Myanmar (69.7), Sri Lanka (71.4), Maldives (81.7), Bhutan (85.7) and Vietnam (86) all ranked higher than Bangladesh. Only Pakistan, with 56.4, fell behind. India was not included in the index.

The IDI focuses on two aspects: universal connectivity and meaningful connectivity. In terms of universal connectivity — measuring internet use among individuals, households, communities and businesses — Bangladesh scored just 44.7 percent. Individual internet usage stands at 44.5 percent and household usage at 43.6 percent, both below the lower-middle-income average. However, recent Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) surveys put individual usage at 48.6 percent and household usage at 59.2 percent. A PPRC study also suggests 64 percent of households have some form of internet access.

On meaningful connectivity, Bangladesh scored 85.1, performing well in areas such as mobile network coverage and internet traffic subscriptions. Mobile phone ownership, however, stands at 63.8 percent according to ITU and 64.8 percent according to BBS.

Professor B M Moinul of Dhaka University’s Institute of Information Technology said that although Bangladesh lags behind many peer economies, it is gradually advancing, particularly with the spread of internet and smartphone use. He stressed that beyond service consumption, focus should shift towards creating new services and solving problems through digital technology. With existing infrastructure and improved youth skills, he noted, Bangladesh has potential to capture the global market in software development and business process outsourcing.