New 2024 estimates published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have laid bare a dramatic gap in internet adoption rates across member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), with penetration ranging from more than 90% to less than half of the national population.
According to the ITU’s standardized indicator, which counts any individual that accessed the internet from any location, on any electronic device, at least one time over the previous three months, the Bahamas leads the regional ranking with a 92.5% internet usage rate. At the opposite end of the spectrum sits Haiti, where just 47.9% of the population meet the threshold for measured internet use. For global context, the worldwide average internet usage rate currently stands at 73.6%, meaning the CARICOM region includes both nations that far outpace global standards and those that fall well short.
While a majority of CARICOM member states fall into a mid-range cluster, with usage rates between 68% and 83%, the data holds several unexpected outcomes that challenge assumptions based on national income classification. Two upper-middle-income economies, Guyana and Belize, posted stronger internet usage results than some wealthier high-income counterparts in the region: Guyana notched an 83.0% penetration rate, and Belize hit 80.0%, compared to 70.4% in Barbados and 72.7% in Antigua and Barbuda—both of which are categorized as high-income economies by the World Bank.
Regional analysts point to a mix of interconnected factors that drive these divergent outcomes, beyond just national gross domestic product per capita. The affordability of mobile and fixed data, the geographic reach of digital communications infrastructure, the age breakdown of national populations, and the level of competition in domestic telecom markets all play key roles in determining how many people actually go online on a semi-regular basis across the Caribbean.
This analysis, compiled by regional data initiative CARISTATS, draws on official 2024 figures from the ITU DataHub’s “Individuals using the Internet” dataset. CARISTATS currently offers this public data analysis for free, and encourages readers who value their work to commit to a future subscription; no charges will be applied until the organization formally activates its payment system.