The cost of 1GB of mobile data in 237 countries

Measured June to September 2023

A global league table of mobile data costs. The average cost of one gigabyte (1GB) was calculated from over 5,600 mobile data plans worldwide.

Download data (.xls)

Interactive map

Using the map

Countries are colour-coded by the average price of one gigabyte (1GB) of mobile data. As you can see, this paints an interesting picture, with a wide range of countries where mobile data is cheapest, but with some of the most expensive found predominantly in the remote island nations of Africa and South America.

Hovering over an individual country will bring up its associated data. This includes country name, its ranking out of the 237 countries measured, its cheapest available 1GB of data, its most expensive 1GB of data, how many plans were measured to create the average, and on what day the snapshot was taken.

Why some countries are missing data

Unlike our measurements of worldwide broadband speed and worldwide broadband pricing, where lack of fixed-line infrastructure meant significant gaps, mobile data provision is near-ubiquitous. However, there are still some countries or territories where either no provision exists, there exists only 2G infrastructure, providing only calls and/or SMS texts, or the data simply isn't available. And there are countries and regions where problems with local currency do not allow for useful comparison.

This year's excluded countries are: Bulgaria, Wallis and Futuna, Christmas Island, Eritrea, North Korea, Pitcairn Islands, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, United States Minor Outlying Islands and Vatican City (Holy See).

Related research

Cable.co.uk also undertakes annual tracking studies covering the average speed of broadband in over 200 countries, and the cost of broadband in over 200 countries.

Highlights

Here is a quick look at some of the highlights unearthed in the study.

#1. Israel

With three-quarters of Israelis owning a smartphone, Israel boasts a higher smartphone market penetration than the United States of America. Multiple providers offer huge data allowances with extensive 4G LTE and 5G network coverage.

#2. Italy

A dozen or so popular providers in Italy collectively offer some of the cheapest data in the world. 5G is now available to around 95% of the population, alongside ubiquitous 4G.

#3.Fiji

Despite being a remote island nation, Fiji has two mobile networks, both of which provide 4G and growing 5G coverage across the island, along with a broad range of large data deals.

#4. San Marino

Italy's tiny neighbour was the first European state to have a 5G network, established by Italian network TIM. San Marino benefits from 100% 5G coverage.

The most and least expensive countries in the world for 1GB of mobile data

Here we take a closer look at the five most and least expensive countries in the world to buy 1GB of mobile data

Five most expensive countries in the world

The five most expensive countries in terms of the average cost of 1GB of mobile data are Zimbabwe (USD 43.75), the Falkland Islands (USD 40.58), Saint Helena (USD 40.13), South Sudan (USD 23.70) and Tokelau (USD 17.24).

The similarities between these five nations are both striking and obvious. Three of the five are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, and three of five are island nations. Sub-Saharan Africa is the fourth-most expensive region in the world for mobile data generally, while island nations also tend to be among the most expensive.

Five cheapest countries in the world

The five cheapest countries in terms of the average cost of 1GB of mobile data are Israel (USD 0.02), Italy (USD 0.09), Fiji (USD 0.09), San Marino (USD 0.10), and Cambodia (USD 0.12).

Conversely to the most expensive, only one of these countries is an island, and none of them are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. Italy offers the cheapest mobile data in Western Europe and also maintains the infrastructure in San Marino. Israel has been a global leader in the provision of 5G and continues to top the global table when it comes to the price of data as well.

Countries can be categorised using a mixture of these four archetypes

Researchers uncovered four main country archetypes that go the greatest distance to explaining the expense, or lack of, mobile data across the globe. Note that many countries will be formed of a mixture of two or more of these.

Excellent infrastructure: Countries with long-established, ubiquitous 4G or new 5G infrastructure tend to fall towards the cheaper end of the table. This is due to the fact that their mobile data plans tend to offer considerably more data than the global median, caps usually in the hundreds of gigabytes, or even completely unlimited. The cost per gigabyte in these countries will tend therefore to be very low.

Heavy reliance: Countries with little to no fixed-line broadband availability therefore rely heavily on mobile data provision. In these cases, mobile data is the primary means the population has of getting online, and adoption is often near-ubiquitous. With a saturated market and many competing providers, often accompanied by a low average wage, data pricing in such countries can be exceptionally cheap when compared globally.

Small consumption: Countries where, although mobile data is widely available and widely used, the basic and/or overburdened infrastructure dictates a limited-use culture. In countries such as these, SIMs tend to be relatively cheap but predominantly available loaded with very small data amounts. In such countries, amounts of 2-5MB and with single-day expiries are not uncommon. When multiplying such small quantities to figure out the cost of a gigabyte, then, such countries tended to find themselves at the most expensive end of the table.

Wealthy economy: Wealthy nations tend to have good mobile infrastructure, decently-sized data caps and relatively healthy markets. Since populations can afford to pay more, and network infrastructure costs that much more to own and run, and provided they haven't reached the 'excellent infrastructure' category where data limits are beyond normal usage or entirely unlimited, data pricing tends towards the global average.

The most improved vs least improved pricing

Here we take a quick look at which countries have done the best and worst at making mobile data cheaper since 2019, when this tracking study began.

Minus figures are better. For example, -99.17% means prices per 1GB have dropped by 99.17% since 2019. Plus figures are worse and represent increases in the cost of 1GB.

Five most improved countries

When it comes to the most improved between 2019 and 2023, those countries which have offered many multiples the amount of data they once did, but for similar money, have fared the best, with all five of the most improved splitting hairs with 97%+ cheaper pricing per GB.

Five least improved countries

Conversely, only a handful of countries have actually seen data prices rising across the last five sample years, each with a unique reason for such a rise to occur. Syria's descent into war, for example, or large fluctuations between the local currency and the American dollar.

Regions

Here we take a closer look at how pricing is averaged in thirteen global regions, and talk a little about the current state of each with regard to mobile data and pricing.

Northern Africa

All but two of the seven North African countries are in the cheapest half of the table. Western Sahara is the cheapest at USD 0.58, and the most expensive in the region is Mauritania (USD 1.32). All countries in this region are cheaper than the global average of USD 2.59. Northern Africa is the cheapest region in the world overall.

Position: 1st
Total countries tested: 7
Average cost of 1GB: USD 0.86
Total tariffs measured: 206

Asia (excl. Near East)

Asian nations make up a significant portion of the top 20 cheapest countries for mobile data. Cambodia and Pakistan offer the most affordable rates at just USD 0.12 per 1GB, followed by India at USD 0.16 and India at USD 0.16. These countries rank among the top ten globally for the lowest mobile data prices. Only three Asian countries exceed the global average of USD 2.59 per 1GB – Japan (USD 3.48), British Indian Ocean Territory (USD 4.44), and South Korea, which stands as the most expensive in the region at USD 5.01 per 1GB.

Position: 2nd
Total countries tested: 28
Average cost of 1GB: USD 1.10
Total packages measured: 948

Eastern Europe

Within Eastern Europe, Moldova (USD 0.28) is the cheapest, followed by Montenegro (USD 0.32), Poland (USD 0.37), and Romania (USD 0.54). The Czech Republic is the most expensive in the region, with 1GB of data costing USD 3.12 on average.

Position: 3rd
Total countries tested: 15
Average cost of 1GB: USD 1.27
Total tariffs measured: 267

Central America

The cheapest mobile data plans in Central America can be found in Nicaragua, where 1GB of data costs USD 0.55 on average, and Honduras (USD 0.78). Prices are somewhat steeper in El Salvador (USD 1.08) and Guatemala (USD 1.17). The most expensive country in Central America is Belize, where an average 1GB costs USD 2.92.

Position: 4th
Total countries tested: 8
Average cost of 1GB: USD 1.50
Total tariffs measured: 229

CIS

A number of CIS countries are among the very cheapest in the world for mobile data and all but four sit inside the less expensive half of the table. Kyrgyzstan is cheapest in the region with an average of USD 0.17, and also eighth-cheapest in the world. At the bottom of the regional table is Turkmenistan (USD 11.42), which is also the seventh most expensive in the world.

Position: 5th
Total countries tested: 11
Average cost of 1GB: USD 1.80
Total tariffs measured: 186

Baltics

Estonia is the cheapest of the three with 1GB costing an average of USD 1.15 and sits in 107th place in the world, while in Lithuania 1GB costs USD 1.26 on average. Latvia sits in the most expensive half of the table with an average of USD 3.21, and is the only country in the regioj whose pricing is greater than the global average of USD 2.59.

Position: 6th
Total countries tested: 4
Average cost of 1GB: USD 1.87
Total tariffs measured: 54

Western Europe

The cheapest mobile data in Western Europe is in Italy – in second place globally – where the average price of 1GB is just USD 0.09. San Marino (USD 0.10) is the second-cheapest in Western Europe, followed by France (USD 0.20) and Monaco (USD 0.42). The UK (USD 0.62) is the 8th cheapest in Western Europe, and 58th cheapest in the world.

Position: 7th
Total countries tested: 29
Average cost of 1GB: USD 2.08
Total tariffs measured: 613

Caribbean

Most Caribbean nations are in the more expensive half of the list but the difference between the most expensive and the cheapest is extreme. The Cayman Islands are the most expensive in the Caribbean with an average of USD 8.39, while an average 1GB in the cheapest country – Haiti – is 38 times cheaper at USD 0.22.

Position: 8th
Total countries tested: 29
Average cost of 1GB: USD 2.15
Total tariffs measured: 474

Near East

Israel is the cheapest country in the Near East region and also the cheapest in the world, with 1GB costing an average of USD 0.02. Turkey (USD 0.44) is a distant second-cheapest, closely followed by Kuwait (USD 0.52) and Syria (USD 0.67). The most expensive mobile data in the region can be found in Yemen, where the average price of 1GB is USD 15.68.

Position: 9th
Total countries tested: 15
Average cost of 1GB: USD 2.42
Total tariffs measured: 376

Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has just six countries among the top 50 cheapest in the world – Malawi, in 29th place globally, is cheapest in the region at USD 0.38. The region also has five out of the ten most expensive countries in the world, with Zimbabwe being the most expensive in the region and in the world (USD 43.75), followed by Saint Helena (USD 40.13), South Sudan (23.70), the Central African Republic (USD 10.90) and Zambia (USD 8.01) all at the bottom of the table.

Position: 10th
Total countries tested: 50
Average cost of 1GB: USD 3.31
Total tariffs measured: 1,396

Oceania

The average 1GB of data costs USD 0.09 in Fiji, making it the cheapest country in Oceania, and the 3rd cheapest in the world. The region's island nations are mostly in the more expensive half of the table, with Tokelau being the most expensive at USD 17.24. Samoa comes in at second cheapest in the region at USD 0.36, with New Zealand a long way behind – 18th in the region with an average 1GB cost of USD 5.89.

Position: 11th
Total countries tested: 24
Average cost of 1GB: USD 3.72
Total tariffs measured: 410

South America

Colombia, with an average of USD 0.20, Uruguay (USD 0.28), Brazil (USD 0.51), Peru (USD 0.45) and French Guiana (USD 0.49) are the only South American countries to make it into the top 50 cheapest in the world. The most expensive in the region is the Falkland Islands at USD 40.58 – it is also the second most expensive in the world.

Position: 12th
Total countries tested: 14
Average cost of 1GB: USD 3.74
Total tariffs measured: 398

Northern America

The average price of 1GB of mobile data in all four North American countries exceeds the global average of USD 2.59, making it the most expensive region overall. Bermuda is the cheapest country in the region with an average cost of USD 3.42, and the most expensive is the United States (USD 6.00).

Position: 13th
Total countries tested: 4
Average cost of 1GB: USD 4.59
Total tariffs measured: 101

Historical averages

Tracking mobile data pricing in over 200 countries and territories across multiple 12-month periods has allowed us to generate an overall average price of 1GB of data for the globe, and to see how this number changes over time. The good news is that the global cost of data continues to fall rapidly.

Year	Average global cost of 1GB of mobile data in USD	% Change
2019	8.18	-
2020	5.09	-37.58%
2021	4.07	-20.00%
2022	3.12	-23.32%
2023	2.61	-16.35%

Our comments

Our yearly mobile data pricing tracking study is as much a measure of the quantity of data offered as it is the price of data more broadly. After all, those countries with the most improved (cheaper) pricing across the five years our tracker now covers tend to be those offering tens or even hundreds of times more data in 2023 as was available for similar money in 2019.

It's encouraging to see the price of data coming down across the globe as whole, with the vast majority of countries offering 1GB of mobile data for less than USD 2.00. It's a very different picture to the one we saw in 2019.

Resources

Downloadable versions of the data set (.xls), the original press release and the research methodology (.pdf)

League table

The full data set can be downloaded here.

Download

Press release

If you wish to see the original press release for this research, you can download it here as a PDF.

Download

Methodology

Our research methodology and notes on how to interpret the data can be downloaded here as a PDF.

Download

Average cost per 1GB of mobile data by country

Rank	Country	Average price of 1GB (USD)
1	Israel	0.02
2	Italy	0.09
3	Fiji	0.09
4	San Marino	0.10
5	Cambodia	0.12
6	Pakistan	0.12
7	India	0.16
8	Kyrgyzstan	0.17
9	France	0.20
10	Colombia	0.20
11	Haiti	0.22
12	Bangladesh	0.23
13	Sri Lanka	0.25
14	Lao People's Democratic Republic	0.25
15	Russian Federation	0.25
16	Ukraine	0.27
17	Indonesia	0.28
18	Uruguay	0.28
19	Moldova	0.28
20	Malaysia	0.28
21	Vietnam	0.29
22	Uzbekistan	0.30
23	Trinidad and Tobago	0.32
24	Montenegro	0.32
25	Martinique	0.33
26	Samoa	0.36
27	Poland	0.37
28	China	0.38
29	Malawi	0.38
30	Mongolia	0.38
31	Nigeria	0.39
32	Brazil	0.40
33	Ghana	0.40
34	Thailand	0.41
35	Kazakhstan	0.41
36	Monaco	0.42
37	Nepal	0.43
38	Turkey	0.44
39	Australia	0.44
40	Peru	0.45
41	Réunion	0.48
42	Spain	0.48
43	Guadeloupe	0.49
44	French Guiana	0.49
45	Somalia	0.50
46	Austria	0.51
47	Kuwait	0.52
48	Finland	0.52
49	Congo (Democratic Republic of)	0.52
50	Romania	0.54
51	Nicaragua	0.55
52	Rwanda	0.55
53	Western Sahara	0.58
54	Serbia	0.58
55	Philippines	0.59
56	Turks and Caicos Islands	0.59
57	Kenya	0.59
58	United Kingdom	0.62
59	Singapore	0.63
60	Morocco	0.63
61	Chile	0.64
62	Egypt	0.65
63	Syria	0.67
64	Mauritius	0.67
65	Sierra Leone	0.67
66	Belarus	0.67
67	Gibraltar	0.67
68	Congo	0.68
69	Ethiopia	0.68
70	Denmark	0.69
71	Taiwan	0.69
72	Jamaica	0.70
73	Bhutan	0.71
74	Mayotte	0.71
75	Algeria	0.73
76	French Polynesia	0.75
77	Jordan	0.76
78	Mozambique	0.78
79	Honduras	0.78
80	Dominican Republic	0.79
81	Saint Barthélemy (St. Barts)	0.80
82	Hong Kong	0.82
83	Libya	0.82
84	Tanzania	0.84
85	Slovenia	0.84
86	Macedonia	0.86
87	Suriname	0.95
88	Armenia	0.98
89	Myanmar	0.99
90	Ecuador	1.00
91	Angola	1.01
92	Afghanistan	1.02
93	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1.03
94	Paraguay	1.04
95	Venezuela	1.05
96	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1.05
97	Iraq	1.07
98	St. Pierre and Miquelon	1.07
99	El Salvador	1.08
100	Iceland	1.08
101	Palestine, State of	1.08
102	Burundi	1.10
103	Uganda	1.11
104	Argentina	1.11
105	Dominica	1.11
106	Madagascar	1.12
107	Estonia	1.15
108	Sudan	1.16
109	Guatemala	1.17
110	Côte d'Ivoire	1.18
111	Croatia	1.19
112	Liechtenstein	1.19
113	Tonga	1.19
114	Namibia	1.20
115	Kosovo	1.25
116	Eswatini	1.26
117	Lithuania	1.26
118	Djibouti	1.26
119	Tunisia	1.28
120	Jersey	1.31
121	Bahrain	1.31
122	Mauritania	1.32
123	Papua New Guinea	1.36
124	Macau	1.44
125	Isle of Man	1.44
126	Togo	1.45
127	Saudi Arabia	1.49
128	Ireland	1.50
129	Iran	1.50
130	American Samoa	1.50
131	Guinea	1.51
132	Saint Kitts and Nevis	1.54
133	Vanuatu	1.54
134	Albania	1.55
135	Saint Lucia	1.58
136	Saint-Martin (France)	1.58
137	Equatorial Guinea	1.59
138	The Netherlands	1.61
139	Panama	1.63
140	Cameroon	1.63
141	Senegal	1.63
142	Niger	1.63
143	Tajikistan	1.65
144	Guernsey	1.69
145	Luxembourg	1.70
146	Hungary	1.71
147	Azerbaijan	1.76
148	Portugal	1.79
149	South Africa	1.81
150	Grenada	1.81
151	Aruba	1.85
152	Costa Rica	1.86
153	Bolivia	1.87
154	Anguilla	1.88
155	Brunei Darussalam	1.89
156	Georgia	1.91
157	Lebanon	1.91
158	Timor-Leste	1.92
159	Oman	1.95
160	Lesotho	1.96
161	Botswana	1.99
162	Mexico	2.03
163	Germany	2.14
164	Maldives	2.16
165	Comoros	2.18
166	Belgium	2.23
167	Faroe Islands	2.24
168	Palau	2.25
169	Montserrat	2.26
170	Sweden	2.33
171	Malta	2.36
172	Guyana	2.36
173	Benin	2.37
174	Qatar	2.40
175	São Tomé and Príncipe	2.41
176	Cyprus	2.41
177	Liberia	2.50
178	Guam	2.50
179	Puerto Rico	2.58
180	Cook Islands	2.62
181	Northern Mariana Islands	2.67
182	Slovakia	2.68
183	Curaçao	2.68
184	Caribbean Netherlands	2.71
185	Cuba	2.71
186	Guinea-Bissau	2.72
187	Barbados	2.75
188	Sint Maarten	2.77
189	Greece	2.79
190	Belize	2.92
191	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	3.03
192	Nauru	3.09
193	Czech Republic	3.12
194	Niue	3.14
195	Kiribati	3.19
196	Antigua and Barbuda	3.20
197	Latvia	3.21
198	Cape Verde	3.24
199	Burkina Faso	3.27
200	Bermuda	3.42
201	Japan	3.48
202	Gambia	3.56
203	Greenland	3.58
204	New Caledonia	3.76
205	Norway	4.07
206	Gabon	4.09
207	Chad	4.09
208	Virgin Islands (U.S.)	4.33
209	British Indian Ocean Territory	4.44
210	Mali	4.56
211	United Arab Emirates	4.61
212	Andorra	4.82
213	Bahamas	4.99
214	South Korea	5.01
215	Virgin Islands (British)	5.24
216	Canada	5.37
217	Seychelles	5.43
218	New Zealand	5.89
219	United States	6.00
220	Marshall Islands	6.08
221	Tuvalu	6.08
222	Åland Islands	6.12
223	Norfolk Island	6.39
224	Solomon Islands	6.96
225	Micronesia (Federated States of)	7.11
226	Switzerland	7.29
227	Zambia	8.01
228	Cayman Islands	8.39
229	Svalbard and Jan Mayen	9.00
230	Central African Republic	10.90
231	Turkmenistan	11.42
232	Yemen	15.68
233	Tokelau	17.24
234	South Sudan	23.70
235	Saint Helena	40.13
236	Falkland Islands	40.58
237	Zimbabwe	43.75

*Note: Where values are identical, ranking is decided by next decimal place, not shown here. To see these results to greater than two decimal places, please download the raw data set.

Contact us

Dan Howdle

Consumer telecoms analyst

Email: dan@cable.co.uk