According to GSM Arena, in the last five years alone, almost one billion additional people have gained access to mobile data services. Question is how much does it cost all around the world?

Mobile Data Charges around the world

The cost of gaining access can vary greatly from country to country—particularly when it comes to the price of mobile data. The chart below from Cable.co.uk showcases the average cost of one gigabyte (GB) of mobile data in 155 different countries.

In Kenya, across the different service providers, it costs at most KES 100 for 1GB of data. The prices may vary but you’ll be shocked to know that most countries,  even in Africa, don’t enjoy this ‘luxury’.

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The Most Expensive and Cheapest Packages

Most countries range between KES 10 to KES 500 but some range up to KES 3,000. Taking a look at the chart below shows us where each country lies in the graph.

The countries that have to pay the most is Malawi and Benin. It costs almost KES 3,000 for a GB of Data. This, of course, pales in comparison to the cheapest package in the world right now. Why?

A significant factor behind the high cost of data in SSA is its lack of infrastructure. With overburdened networks, the data bundles offered in the region are generally smaller.

In India and Israel, it costs almost 10 bob for a GB of mobile data. That means that there is a 30,000% difference between the cheapest and most expensive charges for the GB package.  Why?

A significant factor is the country’s intense market competition is driven by Reliance Jio. It is offering customers free trial periods and plans for less than KES 100 a month. This forced other providers to drop their pricing, driving down the overall cost of data in the region.

However, this looks highly unsustainable for the economy and the prices might go up soon.