Accessibility, Penetration Rates, and the Digital Divide in Yemen

Internet accessibility in Yemen is among the lowest in the world. Only a small fraction of Yemenis are online, and those who are face high costs and poor service. As of January 2024, internet penetration was estimated at 17.7% of the population (about 6.16 million users out of ~34.8 million people) arabnews.com. This means over 80% of Yemenis remain offline, a staggering digital divide. (For comparison, the global average internet penetration is around 65–72%, and even many developing countries have well over half their population online theglobaleconomy.com.) Earlier estimates in 2023 had put Yemeni internet use a bit higher (~27% washingtoninstitute.org), but in any case, well under one-third of Yemen’s people have internet access, the lowest rate in the Middle East. Those living in rural and conflict-affected areas, and marginalized groups like the poor and women, have even less access, exacerbating socio-economic disparities.

A major barrier is affordability and infrastructure availability. Yemen’s internet is not only sparse but extremely expensive relative to incomes. One analysis found that a fixed broadband package in Yemen costs around $2,466 per month, which is 30 times the average monthly income – making it essentially unaffordable for the vast majority of citizens digitalinformationworld.com. Even if one could pay, the quality is very low: $1 of internet in Yemen buys far less bandwidth than anywhere else. In fact, on a cost-per-speed basis, Yemen has the most expensive internet in the world, with an estimated cost of $3,768 per Mbps, highlighting how prohibitive it is for ordinary users digitalinformationworld.com. High poverty rates (worsened by the war) mean few can spare money for internet service, especially in rural areas. The lack of electricity and equipment (many cannot afford computers or smartphones) further limits access en.wikipedia.org. Unsurprisingly, internet use is concentrated in urban centers like Sana’a and Aden among those who can afford devices and subscriptions, while millions in rural villages have never been online.

There is also a divide in type of access. Because the fixed-line network is so underdeveloped, the vast majority of internet users rely on mobile networks or shared connections. It’s estimated that only around 1% of Yemenis have a fixed broadband subscription at home (a connection faster than 256 kbps) worlddata.info. Most people who do use the internet are connecting via mobile data or community networks. In some remote areas, enterprising locals have set up neighborhood Wi-Fi networks by extending connections from YemenNet via long-range antennas smex.org. These informal ISPs resell connectivity to villages that the main providers’ cables or DSL lines do not reach. While this helps extend access, it’s often slow and subject to the same high costs (since the bandwidth ultimately comes from YemenNet’s expensive supply) smex.org. The digital divide is also evident in education and gender – many schools lack internet, and women (especially in conservative rural areas) have lower digital access due to social and economic factors (though exact figures are hard to come by). In summary, Yemen’s internet penetration is not only low overall, but deeply unequal: connectivity is a luxuryavailable primarily to urban, relatively better-off Yemenis, creating a significant gap between the connected few and the offline majority.