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Digitalisation has been a central theme of Bangladesh's national branding for well over one and a half decades. There has been unreserved national consensus across all political hues on digital transformation. The general expectation therefore is for the optimum utilisation of technology and a steady rise in internet penetration. However, the country's march towards digitisation remains uneven, with one section equipped and another left behind.
The latest survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) lays bare this imbalance. It shows that 43.6 per cent of people in rural areas use the internet, compared to 75.7 per cent in urban areas, highlighting persistent inequality in access to digital services. Overall, 53.4 per cent of the population is connected to the internet, meaning nearly half of the population is excluded from the digital sphere.
As more and more services go online, internet access is no longer a matter of convenience but a basic necessity. Digitisation has reshaped communication, commerce, education and daily life. In fact, its importance is so widely recognised that the United Nations and several countries now recognise the right to access the internet as a fundamental human right. The digital disparities therefore risk widening existing socio-economic inequalities. For instance, the government's plan to introduce online classes for several days a week as a response to the energy crisis may exclude students who lack reliable internet access or appropriate devices, thereby deepening educational inequality.
Similarly, ongoing efforts to roll out a unified digital health system and expand e-governance services risk falling short of their intended impact if large segments of the population remain offline. This exclusion will further exacerbate inequality, affecting students, farmers and entrepreneurs alike.
Bangladesh, however, cannot bridge this gaping digital divide alone, and global cooperation is essential, whether through technology transfer, investment in infrastructure, or partnerships that make digital tools affordable and accessible. To that end, Bangladesh's recent call at the United Nations for greater global cooperation to bridge the digital divide is both timely and necessary.
At home, however, policy gaps remain. The interim government had taken steps to reduce bandwidth prices at different stages of the supply chain, aiming to make internet services more affordable. However, these benefits have not been passed on to consumers. Mobile operators, despite lower input costs, have largely maintained existing data prices, raising concerns that reduced costs are being absorbed as profit rather than shared as public benefit. In a time of economic strain, high mobile data costs remain a significant barrier to wider internet adoption. In fact, 43.6 per cent of respondents of the BBS survey cited high subscription costs as the primary reason for not using internet.
The issue is compounded by device accessibility. Nearly 46 per cent of the population still relies on feature phones, limiting their ability to access online services. More affordable smartphone packages could encourage a shift towards smartphones and enable broader participation in the digital economy. The private sector can play a critical role in this regard so that innovation does not remain confined to urban elites or higher-income groups. Ensuring that digital tools, platforms, and services are accessible and affordable is essential for inclusive growth.
Bridging this divide will require more than making devices and mobile data affordable. It must also involve a sustained push to improve digital literacy, as a large share of users remain passive consumers of online content rather than active participants in the digital economy. This calls for targeted awareness campaigns in schools and communities, alongside reliable and affordable internet access. A digitally equipped and literate population would have greater access to opportunities, enabling more citizens to engage meaningfully in economic activities and contribute to national development.