African countries generally have some of the most expensive mobile data in the world due to various factors ranging from unavailability of telecom infrastructure and high taxation on the African telecom industry by governments.
Many telcos can hold key monopolies and simply charge more for data because they can.
In 2020, the average price of 1 GB of mobile data in Africa was over USD 5, while the price in the European Union (EU) was closer to USD 3,5, although data is getting cheaper, there are still many countries in Africa with incredibly high mobile data prices.
Increasing internet access is a key target for many developing nations, as it promotes access to education and access to financial services, among other benefits. Cheap data is therefore important for many developing countries in Africa.
According to a The report of Statista, here are the 15 African nations with the most expensive mobile data, ranked by how much 1GB of data costs in dollars.
BUT: What Internet speed do you really need?
The 15 African countries with the most expensive mobile data in 2021:
15. Guinea-Bissau - $4,41
14. Burkina Faso - $ 4,52
13. Togo - US$ 4,69
12. Cape Verde - $ 4,78
11. Gabon - $ 4,82
10. Madagascar - $ 5,14
9. Mauritania - $ 5,65
8. Gâmbia - $ 5,86
7. Seychelles - $ 8,64
6. República Centro Africana - $ 9,03
5. Namíbia - $ 22,37
4. Chade - $ 23,33
3. Malawi - $ 25,46
2. São Tomé and Principe - $30,97
- Equatorial Guinea - $ 49,67
Equatorial Guinea on the west coast of Central Africa has the most expensive mobile data on the continent, where 1 GB costs almost USD 50, and is probably the most expensive 1 GB of data you can buy anywhere in the world.
The country has a relatively small population of just under 2 million people and generally high per capita income due to the country being rich in oil. The average salary in 2022 is around USD 700 per month based on research.
By contrast, African countries with the lowest internet prices include Sudan – where a 1GB of broadband data costs USD 0,9 – followed by Egypt (USD 1,3), Morocco (USD 2), Rwanda (USD 2,1) and Cameroon (USD 2,2). It costs USD 2,3 in Algeria, USD 3,28 in Senegal, USD 3,50 in Angola and USD 4,8 in Côte d'Ivoire.
The data on Statista.com I don't think is reliable, it's from Feb 2021 and based on responses from 16 people (for Sao Tome and Principe), and you can't see the source without subscribing. And even in 2021 it is not true, and it was enough to inquire the only two telecoms there, CST and Unitel).
CST: On the fixed fiber network, I have the package that costs around 60 Euros for unlimited traffic, IPTV etc. On the mobile network, the monthly Netfone+ package costs 330 Dobras (13.6 Euros) for 6 gigs, an approximate rate of 2.24 Euros per gig.
UNITEL then offers competitive packages. In 2019 it already offered, for example, 30 Gigas at 900 Dobras (36.73 Euros) at the rate of 1.22 Euros per Giga.
Let's see, I now have the package from NOS (Portugal) now that it offers you the game it seems like 20 gigs for free at the beginning, and when it runs out you can buy 500 Megas for 3.99, 1 Giga for 5.99, 3 Gigas for 13.99. Of course, the speed doesn't even compare, I can share the net to the laptop and run IPTV with excellent quality.
Therefore, not only gigas but other factors must be taken into account. I've been to countries on the list that are said to be cheaper where the internet is worth nothing, compared to Sao Tome and Principe, a voice call is nothing, video call then forget it.
1 Giga in Equatorial Guinea at 50 USD? Could it be that those who responded to the survey subscribe to satellite services because they have more resources (oil, etc). There are many factors that condition the answers. But then, I wanted to make a small contribution..
https://cst.st/PT/pessoal/movel/internet-no-telemovel/netfone-pre-pago
https://www.unitel.st/tarifarios.php (2019 data)