Ethiopia has been ranked 119th out of 127 countries in the 2025 edition of the Network Readiness Index (NRI), underscoring both its progress in digital infrastructure and the steep challenges it faces in governance, inclusion, and effective use of technology.
The Index, published by the Portulans Institute, assesses countries’ capacity to leverage digital technologies for economic growth, societal well-being, and sustainable development. Ethiopia, categorized as a low-income country, scored 27.52 points, placing it near the bottom of the global table but ahead of several African peers, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Madagascar, Angola, Mauritania, and Burundi.
Within its income group, Ethiopia ranks 4th among low-income economies, behind Rwanda, Uganda, and Malawi. This suggests that while the country is a laggard globally, it performs somewhat better when compared with nations facing similar economic constraints.
Across Africa, Mauritius (58th), South Africa (69th), and Kenya (77th) lead the continent on network readiness, with Rwanda (87th) highlighted as a low-income country that outperforms expectations relative to its GDP per capita. Ethiopia does not feature among these “outperformers,” instead remaining in the lower tier of regional rankings.
Despite its overall low position, the report identifies several areas where Ethiopia is building a base for digital transformation.
The country performs comparatively well in fixed broadband infrastructure, ranking 56th worldwide for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) building internet subscriptions. It also records mid-range positions for international internet bandwidth (81st) and population covered by at least a 3G mobile network (74th), showing that basic connectivity is expanding.
In the Impact pillar’s economic dimension, Ethiopia ranks 62nd, supported by the size of its domestic market (54th) and a visible, though still modest, level of ICT services exports (85th). These indicators point to growing potential for the digital economy, even if this has yet to translate into broad-based benefits.
The report is sharply critical of Ethiopia’s performance in digital governance and inclusion.
Ethiopia ranks 124th in the Governance pillar, reflecting serious gaps in regulatory quality, digital trust, and institutional readiness. The country is also placed 124th for Inclusion, highlighting deep digital divides related to access, capacity, and participation.
E-participation—a measure of how governments use digital tools to engage citizens—is particularly weak, with Ethiopia ranked 124th in this area. The low ranking suggests that digital platforms are not yet being used effectively to support transparency, participation, or citizen-centered service delivery.
The People pillar also reveals a significant deficit. Individuals, businesses, and public institutions are not leveraging digital technologies at scale, and Ethiopia sits close to the bottom globally in people-related dimensions of network readiness.
On the broader social front, the NRI shows that Ethiopia’s digital progress has not yet translated into improved quality of life.
The country ranks 115th in the Impact pillar overall and 125th on indicators related to good health and well-being. This suggests that digital technologies are not yet being systematically harnessed to strengthen health systems, social services, or human development outcomes.
The report also notes a mixed picture in investment and equity-related indicators.
Ethiopia posts a relatively strong ranking in income inequality, at 29th globally, suggesting a narrower income gap than in many countries, even if overall income levels remain low. The Index further records positive signals in selected investment measures, including annual investment in telecommunication services and the scale of the public cloud computing market, where Ethiopia performs better than its overall rank might imply.
However, these advances are undermined by low digital adoption across firms and households, with businesses ranked far behind global leaders and individuals facing major barriers in access, skills, and meaningful use of technology.
Taken together, the 2025 Network Readiness Index portrays Ethiopia as a country at a digital crossroads: one that has started to lay essential infrastructure and enjoys a sizable domestic market, but remains constrained by weak governance, limited inclusion, and low human-capital utilization in the digital sphere.
