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More than 57 percent of households across Bangladesh now have internet access, reflecting the country’s steady progress toward a more digitally connected society, according to the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The survey found that internet connectivity reached 57.4 percent of households during the third quarter (January-March 2026) of the current fiscal year, up from 55.1 percent recorded in the annual estimate for FY2024-25.
The latest findings also show a notable increase in individual internet use. During the January-March quarter, 58.6 percent of people aged five years and above used the internet, compared with 48.9 percent in the first quarter (July-September 2025). The rate rose sharply to 58.4 percent in the second quarter (October-December 2025) before increasing slightly further in the third quarter.
The report suggests that Bangladesh’s digital transformation continues to gain momentum as more people gain access to online services, digital education, e-commerce and mobile-based financial services.
While internet usage increased, ownership of personal mobile phones recorded a marginal decline. The survey showed that 65.4 percent of people owned a mobile phone during the third quarter, slightly down from 65.5 percent in the previous quarter. However, the figure remains significantly higher than the 56.5 percent recorded in the first quarter of the fiscal year.
Despite the slight fall in personal ownership, overall mobile phone usage remained virtually unchanged. Including shared devices, 89.5 percent of the population used mobile phones, compared with 89.4 percent in the previous quarter.
Computer usage also continued its gradual upward trend. The proportion of people using computers increased to 11.7 percent in the third quarter from 11.4 percent in the second quarter and 10 percent in the first quarter, indicating a slow but steady expansion in the use of digital devices.
At the household level, mobile phone ownership has almost reached universal coverage. The survey found that 98.9 percent of households own at least one mobile phone. Smartphone ownership also continued to grow, rising to 73.4 percent of households from 72.7 percent in the previous fiscal year.
In contrast, landline telephones continued their long-term decline. Only 0.7 percent of households now have a fixed telephone connection, down from 0.8 percent a year earlier. Overall, 98.2 percent of households now rely exclusively on mobile phones for communication.
The report also noted that television and radio ownership remained largely unchanged, while electricity coverage slipped slightly to 98.5 percent from 98.9 percent in the first quarter.
The nationwide ICT survey covered 2,568 sample areas, interviewing 61,632 households each quarter, or 246,528 households annually. Data were collected by 214 trained field workers, making it the second large-scale district-representative ICT survey conducted by BBS since 2013.
According to BBS, the quarterly findings will be consolidated into a comprehensive annual report. The data will also contribute to 22 ICT indicators monitored by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), helping assess Bangladesh’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and supporting evidence-based digital policy planning.
