The use of internet in Bangladesh at both household and individual levels is rising significantly as the country is going digital aggressively, official statistics showed on Wednesday.
An increase in the number of smartphone users at household level has prompted a proportionate rise in internet use, according to the survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
More than half of the households in the country use the internet at their homes, according to the BBS's quarterly report on the "ICT uses and access survey FY2024-25".
In the last couple of years, the number of the internet-using households has been boosted by 12.3 percentage points while that at the individual level gone up by 9.2 percentage points.
According to the BBS, the internet-using households have increased to 50.4 per cent in the first quarter (Q1) of the current fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 from that of 38.1 per cent two years ago in 2022.
During this Q1, the number of the internet users at the individual level has also increased to 45.7 per cent from that of 36.5 per cent in 2022, the national statistical body's survey showed.
Meanwhile, the use of mobile phones, smart phones, computers, laptops, televisions and radios has also increased. Although the ICT survey was started in 2013, it was held up for nearly one decade. It began again in 2022.
The BBS prepared the Q1FY2025 report taking information from 61,632 households in 2,568 areas across the country. The survey has been conducted on the individuals aged 05 years or above.
The electricity coverage at the household level has, however, decreased a little bit to 98.2 per cent in the Q1FY2025 compared to the last survey year in 2023. According to the BBS, the households with electricity coverage were 99.1 per cent in 2023.
The BBS data show that the number of the smartphone users has also increased significantly in the last two years. In the quarterly survey report for the FY2025, the smartphone-using households were 70.1 per cent across the country. It was recorded at 63.3 per cent in 2023 and 52.1 per cent in 2022.
The number of the mobile phone users at the individual level has also increased to 90.9 per cent while the individuals owning to their own phones are 64.1 per cent in the Q1FY2025, the survey shows. The desktop, laptop and tablet users have also increased over the last few years.
