Bangladesh has witnessed a substantial increase in internet usage over the last year, although computer access has shown minimal growth, highlighting the country’s continued reliance on mobile devices for online activities. According to the latest quarterly report from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of individuals using the internet increased to 59.2% in April-June 2026, up from 55.0% the previous year. In contrast, computer usage saw a slight uptick from 11.6% to 11.8%.
The fourth-quarter report of the ICT Access and Use Survey 2025-26 revealed that mobile phones remain the primary tool for digital access, with computers still out of reach for the majority of the population. Internet usage among individuals aged five and above rose by 4.2 percentage points year-on-year, while computer use only increased by 0.2 percentage points, resulting in a significant gap with internet users outnumbering computer users by approximately five to one.
Mobile phone usage among individuals reached 89.6% in the latest quarter, up from 88.2% the previous year. The ownership of mobile phones, a key indicator for tracking the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, rose to 65.6% from 64.2%. This disparity suggests that a considerable number of individuals use mobile phones that they do not own personally, indicating shared usage among family members or others.
Household mobile phone access is nearly universal, with 99.0% of households owning a mobile phone, unchanged from the previous year. On the other hand, computer ownership at the household level remains low, with only 9.1% of households owning a computer. Smartphone penetration slightly increased to 75.1% from 74.8%, while fixed-line telephony continued its decline, dropping to 0.7% from 0.9%.
Despite the individual increase in internet usage, household internet access experienced a decline, dropping to 58.2% in April-June 2026 from 59.7% the previous year. This discrepancy indicates that individual internet use surpasses household access. Fahim Mashroor, a technology entrepreneur, emphasized the importance of broader computer access in improving productivity across various industries, such as accounting, marketing, production management, and supervision.
The ICT Access and Use Survey, conducted by the BBS under the project “District-based Measurement of ICT Access and Use at Individual and Household Level,” collects data quarterly from 2,568 sample areas, totaling 61,632 households per quarter and 246,528 households annually. The survey aims to enhance policymaking in the ICT sector and provide valuable insights for tracking the Sustainable Development Goals, with data on 22 indicators being reported to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).