Communications Access Index

The Communications Access Index (CAI) quantifies a country's communication capabilities. The index is based on access to mobile phones, internet, landlines, and electricity using data from 2010 and covers over 200 countries and territories. For an in-depth look at the methodology used in developing this index and its limitations, please click here to download the CAI paper.

In the future, CAI can be used in conjunction with other measures, such as GDP per capita, to determine the characteristics of countries that have high CAI scores and identify any trends between CAI and other sets of data.


Developed Nations Lead the Pack

Led by Luxumbourg, developed nations have the highest scores while African and Southeast Asian countries are far behind.

Developing countries are around average but must play catch-up to match the communication capabilities of developed nations.

It may be interesting to investigate why China (which produces cutting edge technology) is barely above average.


Europe Leads, Africa Lags

Europe has the highest average CAI of all regions by almost 25 points.

North America, South America, and Asia are close to average while Oceania and Africa lag behind.

Western Europe at the top, Sub-Saharan Africa at the bottom

Eight out of ten countries in the top ten are in Western Europe. Only Bermuda and Hong Kong are located in other regions.

Nine out of ten countries in the bottom ten are in Africa. One is in East Asia (N. Korea).

Explore CAI Score Differences from World Average CAI by Region
Africa
Asia
Europe
Oceania
North America
South America

Explore CAI Scores by Region
Africa
Asia
Europe
Oceania
North America
South America

Sources

All data has been obtained from The Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX). Links to the datasets used for each subscore: