IndicatorName: Air transport, freight (million ton-km)

Limitationsandexceptions:
The air transport data represent the total (international and domestic) scheduled traffic carried by the air carriers registered in a country. Countries submit air transport data to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on the basis of standard instructions and definitions issued by ICAO. In many cases, however, the data include estimates by ICAO for nonreporting carriers. Where possible, these estimates are based on previous submissions supplemented by information published by the air carriers, such as flight schedules.

The data cover the air traffic carried on scheduled services, but changes in air transport regulations in Europe have made it more difficult to classify traffic as scheduled or nonscheduled. Thus recent increases shown for some European countries may be due to changes in the classification of air traffic rather than actual growth. In the case of multinational air carriers owned by partner States, traffic within each partner State is shown separately as domestic and all other traffic as international.

"Foreign" cabotage traffic (i.e. traffic carried between city-pairs in a State other than the one where the reporting carrier has its principal place of business) is shown as international traffic.

A technical stop does not result in any flight stage being classified differently than would have been the case had the technical stop not been made. For countries with few air carriers or only one, the addition or discontinuation of a home-based air carrier may cause significant changes in air traffic.

Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized."

Longdefinition: Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
For statistical uses, departures are equal to the number of landings made or flight stages flown. A flight stage is the operation of an aircraft from take-off to its next landing. A flight stage is classified as either international or domestic. International flight stage is one or both terminals in the territory of a State, other than the State in which the air carrier has its principal place of business.

Domestic flight stage is not classifiable as international. Domestic flight stages include all flight stages flown between points within the domestic boundaries of a State by an air carrier whose principal place of business is in that State. Flight stages between a State and territories belonging to it, as well as any flight stages between two such territories, should be classified as domestic. This applies even though a stage may cross international waters or over the territory of another State.

Freight tonne-kilometres performed measures a metric tonne of freight carried one kilometre. Freight tonne-kilometres equal the sum of the products obtained by multiplying the number of tonnes of freight, express, diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage by the stage distance. For ICAO statistical purposes freight includes express and diplomatic bags but not passenger baggage.


Aggregationmethod: Sum

Developmentrelevance:
Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The air transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses, and stimulating foreign investment and international trade. Economic growth, technological change, market liberalization, the growth of low cost carriers, airport congestion, oil prices and other trends affect commercial aviation throughout the world.

IndicatorName: Air transport, passengers carried

License_Type: CC BY-4.0

Longdefinition: Air passengers carried include both domestic and international aircraft passengers of air carriers registered in the country.

Periodicity: Annual

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization, Civil Aviation Statistics of the World and ICAO staff estimates.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
For statistical uses, departures are equal to the number of landings made or flight stages flown. A flight stage is the operation of an aircraft from take-off to its next landing. A flight stage is classified as either international or domestic. International flight stage is one or both terminals in the territory of a State, other than the State in which the air carrier has its principal place of business.

Domestic flight stage is not classifiable as international. Domestic flight stages include all flight stages flown between points within the domestic boundaries of a State by an air carrier whose principal place of business is in that State. Flight stages between a State and territories belonging to it, as well as any flight stages between two such territories, should be classified as domestic. This applies even though a stage may cross international waters or over the territory of another State.

The number of passengers carried is obtained by counting each passenger on a particular flight (with one flight number) once only and not repeatedly on each individual stage of that flight, with a single exception that a passenger flying on both the international and domestic stages of the same flight should be counted as both a domestic and an international passenger.

Topic: Infrastructure: Transportation


Developmentrelevance:
Road vehicles dominate global oil consumption, consuming as much as 80 percent of transport energy and are one of the fastest growing energy end-uses. As a result, transport sector's share of oil consumption has been increasing steadily at around 0.5 percent per year. In the mid-2000s, some 60 percent of oil was consumed in this sector worldwide. There has been a slow progress in consumer behavioral changes in purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles such as diesel engines. Diesel engines have inherently lower losses and are generally one-third more efficient than their gasoline counterparts. Recent advances in diesel technologies and fuels are making diesels more attractive.

According to the US Department of Energy diesel engines are more powerful and fuel-efficient than similar-sized gasoline engines (about 30-35% more fuel efficient). Although emissions of particulates and smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) are still relatively high, new "clean" diesel fuels, such as ultra-low sulfur diesel and biodiesel, and advances in emission control technologies is expected to reduce these pollutants also. New engine designs, along with noise- and vibration-damping technologies, have made diesel vehicles quieter and smoother. There has been a slow and steady progress in consumer behavioral towards purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles with diesel engines.

Traffic congestion in urban areas constrains economic productivity, damages people's health, and degrades the quality of life. In recent years ownership of passenger cars has increased, and the expansion of economic activity has led to more goods and services being transported by road over greater distances. These developments have increased demand for roads and vehicles, adding to urban congestion, air pollution, health hazards, and traffic accidents and injuries.

Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The road transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses. Economic growth, technological change, market liberalization, and oil prices affect road transport throughout the world.

The US Congress recently passed legislation to decrease United States' dependence on oil by increasing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards on new cars and trucks to 35 mpg by model year 2020; this could potentially reduce petroleum use by 25 billion gallons by 2030.

Generalcomments: Restricted use: Reproduction is strictly prohibited. Extracts must be quoted, after agreement with IRF Geneva, providing the source as IRF World Road Statistics. Please contact info@irfnet.ch and stats@irfnet.ch. [Note: Data have been removed from external publication pending a review of their licensing agreement.]

IndicatorName: Road sector diesel fuel consumption (kt of oil equivalent)

License_Type: Use and distribution of these data are subject to IRF terms and conditions.

Limitationsandexceptions:
National road associations are the primary source of International Road Federation (IRF) data. In countries where a national road association is lacking or does not respond, other agencies are contacted, such as road directorates, ministries of transport or public works, or central statistical offices. As a result, definitions and data collection methods and quality differ, and the compiled data are of uneven quality. Moreover, the quality of transport service (reliability, transit time, and condition of goods delivered) is rarely measured, though it may be as important as quantity in assessing an economy's transport system.

Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized."

Longdefinition: Diesel is heavy oils used as a fuel for internal combustion in diesel engines.

Source: International Road Federation, World Road Statistics and electronic files, except where noted, and International Energy Agency (IEA Statistics © OECD/IEA, http://www.iea.org/stats/index.asp).

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Road sector energy consumption includes energy from petroleum products, natural gas, renewable and combustible waste, and electricity. Biodiesel and biogasoline, forms of renewable energy, are biodegradable and emit less sulfur and carbon monoxide than petroleum-derived ones. They can be produced from vegetable oils, such as soybean, corn, palm, peanut, or sunflower oil, and can be used directly only in a modified internal combustion engine. The unit of measurement is kilotonnes (kt) of oil equivalent.


Aggregationmethod: Weighted average

IndicatorName: Road sector diesel fuel consumption per capita (kg of oil equivalent)

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Road sector energy consumption includes energy from petroleum products, natural gas, renewable and combustible waste, and electricity. Biodiesel and biogasoline, forms of renewable energy, are biodegradable and emit less sulfur and carbon monoxide than petroleum-derived ones. They can be produced from vegetable oils, such as soybean, corn, palm, peanut, or sunflower oil, and can be used directly only in a modified internal combustion engine.The unit of measurement is kilotonnes (kt) of oil equivalent. World Bank staff estimated population data are used to derive per capita estimates.


Developmentrelevance:
Road vehicles dominate global oil consumption, consuming as much as 80 percent of transport energy and are one of the fastest growing energy end-uses. As a result, transport sector's share of oil consumption has been increasing steadily at around 0.5 percent per year. In the mid-2000s, some 60 percent of oil was consumed in this sector worldwide. There has been a slow progress in consumer behavioral changes in purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles such as diesel engines.

In gasoline-powered vehicles, only about 14-26 percent of fuel energy gets used to move a car, depending on the drive cycle. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies or used to power accessories; almost 70 percent of the energy from fuel goes to engine losses such as friction, pumping, combustion, exhaust heat, and radiator. Advanced technologies such as variable valve timing and lift (VVT&L), turbocharging, direct fuel injection, and cylinder deactivation are increasingly been used to reduce these losses. The potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous.

Traffic congestion in urban areas constrains economic productivity, damages people's health, and degrades the quality of life. In recent years ownership of passenger cars has increased, and the expansion of economic activity has led to more goods and services being transported by road over greater distances. These developments have increased demand for roads and vehicles, adding to urban congestion, air pollution, health hazards, and traffic accidents and injuries.

Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The road transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses. Economic growth, technological change, market liberalization, and oil prices affect road transport throughout the world.

The US Congress recently passed legislation to decrease United States' dependence on oil by increasing corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards on new cars and trucks to 35 mpg by model year 2020; this could potentially reduce petroleum use by 25 billion gallons by 2030.

IndicatorName: Road sector energy consumption (kt of oil equivalent)

Longdefinition: Road sector energy consumption is the total energy used in the road sector including petroleum products, natural gas, electricity, and combustible renewable and waste.


IndicatorName: Road sector energy consumption per capita (kg of oil equivalent)


IndicatorName: Road sector energy consumption (% of total energy consumption)

Longdefinition: Road sector energy consumption is the total energy used in the road sector including petroleum products, natural gas, electricity, and combustible renewable and waste. Total energy consumption is the total country energy consumption.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Total energy consumption is the country's total energy consumption from all sources as reported by International Energy Agency and is used to derive the percentage values. Road sector energy consumption includes energy from petroleum products, natural gas, renewable and combustible waste, and electricity. Biodiesel and biogasoline, forms of renewable energy, are biodegradable and emit less sulfur and carbon monoxide than petroleum-derived ones. They can be produced from vegetable oils, such as soybean, corn, palm, peanut, or sunflower oil, and can be used directly only in a modified internal combustion engine.


IndicatorName: Road sector gasoline fuel consumption (kt of oil equivalent)

Longdefinition: Gasoline is light hydrocarbon oil use in internal combustion engine such as motor vehicles, excluding aircraft.


IndicatorName: Road sector gasoline fuel consumption per capita (kg of oil equivalent)

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Road sector energy consumption includes energy from petroleum products, natural gas, renewable and combustible waste, and electricity. Biodiesel and biogasoline, forms of renewable energy, are biodegradable and emit less sulfur and carbon monoxide than petroleum-derived ones. They can be produced from vegetable oils, such as soybean, corn, palm, peanut, or sunflower oil, and can be used directly only in a modified internal combustion engine. The unit of measurement is kilograms of oil equivalent. World Bank estimates of population data are used for calculation of per capita data.


Aggregationmethod: Median

Developmentrelevance:
Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The railway transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses. Economic growth, technological change, and market liberalization affect road transport throughout the world.

Railways have helped in the industrialization process of a country by easy transportation of coal and raw-materials at a cheaper rate. As railways require huge capital outlay, they may give rise to monopolies and work against public interest at large. Even if controlled and managed by the government, lack of competition sometimes results in inefficiency and high costs. Also, many times it is not economical to operate railways in sparsely settled rural areas. Thus, in many developing countries large rural areas have no railway even today.

Rail transport is a major form of passenger and freight transport in many countries. It is ubiquitous in Europe, with an integrated network covering virtually the whole continent. In India, China, South Korea and Japan, many millions use trains as regular transport. In the North America, freight rail transport is widespread and heavily used in for transporting gods. The western Europe region has the highest railway density in the world and has many individual trains which operate through several countries despite technical and organizational differences in each national network. Australia has a generally sparse network, mostly along its densely populated urban centers.

Bulk freight handling is a key advantage for rail transport. Low or even zero transshipment costs combined with energy efficiency and low inventory costs allow trains to handle bulk much cheaper than by road. Typical bulk cargo includes coal, ore, grains and liquids. Bulk goods can be transported in open-topped cars, hopper cars and tank cars. Container trains have become the dominant type in the US for non-bulk haulage.

IndicatorName: Railways, goods transported (million ton-km)

Limitationsandexceptions:
Unlike the road sector, where numerous qualified motor vehicle operators can operate anywhere on the road network, railways are a restricted transport system with vehicles confined to a fixed guideway. Considering the cost and service characteristics, railways generally are best suited to carry - and can effectively compete for - bulk commodities and containerized freight for distances of 500-5,000 kilometers, and passengers for distances of 50-1,000 kilometers. Below these limits road transport tends to be more competitive, while above these limits air transport for passengers and freight and sea transport for freight tend to be more competitive.

Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized."

Longdefinition: Goods transported by railway are the volume of goods transported by railway, measured in metric tons times kilometers traveled.

Source: Internation Union of Railways (UIC), OECD Statistics

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Freight traffic on any mode is typically measured in tons and ton-kilometers. A ton-kilometer equals cargo weight transported times distance transported. For railways, an important measure of work performed is gross ton-kilometers, this measure includes rail wagons' empty weight for both empty and loaded movements. This measure of gross ton-kilometers is also called ‘trailing tons' or the total tons being hauled. Sometimes gross ton-kilometer measures include the weight of locomotives used to haul freight trains.


Developmentrelevance:
Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The railway transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses. Economic growth, technological change, and market liberalization affect road transport throughout the world.

Railways have helped in the industrialization process of a country by easy transportation of coal and raw-materials at a cheaper rate. As railways require huge capital outlay, they may give rise to monopolies and work against public interest at large. Even if controlled and managed by the government, lack of competition sometimes results in inefficiency and high costs. Also, many times it is not economical to operate railways in sparsely settled rural areas. Thus, in many developing countries large rural areas have no railway even today.

Rail transport is a major form of passenger and freight transport in many countries. Passenger trains can involve a variety of functions including long distance travel, daily commuter trips, or local urban transit services. Railways are very popular mode of transportation in Europe, with an integrated network covering virtually the whole continent. In India, China, South Korea and Japan, many millions use trains as regular transport. In North America, freight rail transport is widespread and heavily used in for transporting goods. The western Europe region has the highest railway density in the world and has many individual trains which operate through several countries despite technical and organizational differences in each national network. Australia has a generally sparse network, mostly along its densely populated urban centers.

IndicatorName: Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km)

Longdefinition: Passengers carried by railway are the number of passengers transported by rail multiplied by kilometers traveled.

Notesfromoriginalsource:
Internation Union of Railways (UIC Railisa Database): Var 5113 Passenger.kilometers on the national territory of the railway undertaking. This variable relates to passengers, irrespective of the fare paid and also including free travelling passengers, but excluding members of the train crew. The number of passengers should be calculated as number of passenger journeys. A journey is the act of moving from one place (origin) to another (destination) using a given transport mode (e.g. railway). A journey may consist of one or several stages depending on whether one has to change transport means (e.g. using more than one train) in order to get from the origin to the destination. In other words, a journey consists either of a single stage or a sequence of stages using the same transport mode (e.g. railway), following each other in such a way that the destination of one stage coincides with the origin of the next. Journeys should be considered finished when an overnight stay occurs. For practical purposes, journeys can be considered finished when a change in transport mode or transport company occurs. Passenger-kilometres is the total distance travelled by all the passengers. For instance, one person travelling for 20km contributes for 20 passenger-kilometres; four people, travelling for 20km each, contribute for 80 passenger- kilometres.
OECD Statistics: Rail passenger transport: any movement of passengers using a rail vehicle on a given rail network. National rail passenger transport: rail passenger transport between two places (a place of loading/embarkation and a place of unloading/disembarkation) located in the same country. It may involve transit through a second country. International rail passenger transport: rail passenger transport between a place (of loading/embarkation or unloading/disembarkation) in one country and a place (of loading/embarkation or unloading/disembarkation) in another country. It may involve transit through one or more additional countries. Rail passenger: any person, excluding members of the train crew, who makes a journey by rail. Passenger-kilometre by rail: unit of measurement representing the transport of one rail passenger by rail over a distance of one kilometre.

Source: Internation Union of Railways (UIC Railisa Database), OECD Statistics

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Passenger-kilometers are usually measured on the basis of the rail travel distance between origin and destination multiplied by the number of passengers traveling between each origin and destination.


Developmentrelevance:
Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The railway transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses. Economic growth, technological change, and market liberalization affect road transport throughout the world.

Railways have helped in the industrialization process of a country by easy transportation of coal and raw-materials at a cheaper rate. As railways require huge capital outlay, they may give rise to monopolies and work against public interest at large. Even if controlled and managed by the government, lack of competition sometimes results in inefficiency and high costs. Also, many times it is not economical to operate railways in sparsely settled rural areas. Thus, in many developing countries large rural areas have no railway even today.

Rail transport is a major form of passenger and freight transport in many countries. It is ubiquitous in Europe, with an integrated network covering virtually the whole continent. In India, China, South Korea and Japan, many millions use trains as regular transport. In the North America, freight rail transport is widespread and heavily used in for transporting gods. The western Europe region has the highest railway density in the world and has many individual trains which operate through several countries despite technical and organizational differences in each national network. Australia has a generally sparse network, mostly along its densely populated urban centers.

IndicatorName: Rail lines (total route-km)

Limitationsandexceptions:
Unlike the road sector, where numerous qualified motor vehicle operators can operate anywhere on the road network, railways are a restricted transport system with vehicles confined to a fixed guideway. Considering the cost and service characteristics, railways generally are best suited to carry - and can effectively compete for - bulk commodities and containerized freight for distances of 500-5,000 kilometers, and passengers for distances of 50-1,000 kilometers. Below these limits road transport tends to be more competitive, while above these limits air transport for passengers and freight and sea transport for freight tend to be more competitive.

Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized". The data from IUC is based a reporting by the railway companies and it can show a drastic increase or decrease for some of the years because of no reporting by some of the companies of a country.

Notesfromoriginalsource: Internation Union of Railways (UIC Railisa Database): Var 1112 Total length of lines worked at the end of the year. Gauge: N standard gauge (1,435 m) L broad gauge (exact rail gauge inserted); E narrow gauge (exact rail gauge inserted). The length of railway lines worked is obtained by taking these sections including main-line track listed in the Capital Expenditure Account. Sections not worked are deducted only in cases where they are permanently out of use that is to say, if they are no longer maintained in working order. Lines temporarily out of use continue to form part of the length of lines worked. The length of a section is measured in the middle of the section, from centre to centre of the passenger buildings, or of the corresponding service buildings, of stations which are shown as independent points of departure or arrival for the conveyance of passengers or freight. If the boundary of the rail network falls in open track, the length of the section is measured up to that point. The section situated between a station approach and the join to the main line of two lines or more which is used by all trains in either direction over these lines, is only counted once. However, if for one or more of these lines, tracks are normally allocated, the length of these lines is counted separately. On the other hand, if between two stations there are one or more parallel tracks (siding-lines) to the main line, only the length of the latter is counted. In the case of regular lines worked exclusively during part of the year (seasonal lines), their length is included in the end-of-year statement.

Source: Internation Union of Railways (UIC)

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Rail lines are the length of railway route available for train service, irrespective of the number of parallel tracks. It includes railway routes that are open for public passenger and freight servies and excludes dedicated private resource railways.


Developmentrelevance:
The liner shipping connectivity index (LSCI) aims at capturing a country's integration level into global liner shipping networks. A country's access to world markets depends largely on their transport connectivity, especially in regard to regular shipping services for the import and export of manufactured goods.

Trade facilitation encompasses customs efficiency and other physical and regulatory environments where trade takes place, harmonization of standards and conformance to international regulations, and the logistics of moving goods and associated documentation through countries and ports. Though collection of trade facilitation data has improved over the last decade, data that allow meaningful evaluation, especially for developing economies, are lacking. The quality and accessibility of ports and roads affect logistics performance.

Access to global shipping and air freight networks and the quality and accessibility of ports and roads affect logistics performance. Maritime transport is the backbone of international trade and a key engine driving globalization. Around 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 per cent by value is carried by sea and is handled by ports worldwide; these shares are even higher in the case of most developing countries.

A total of 60 per cent of world seaborne trade by volume is loaded, and 57 per cent unloaded, in developing-country ports. That is a remarkable shift away from previous patterns, in which developing economies served mainly as loading areas for raw materials and natural resources.

IndicatorName: Liner shipping connectivity index (maximum value in 2004 = 100)

Limitationsandexceptions: Data on trade facilitation are drawn from research by private and international agencies. Most data are perception-based evaluations by business executives and professionals. Because of different backgrounds, values, and personalities, those surveyed may evaluate the same situation differently. Caution should thus be used when interpreting perception- based indicators. Nevertheless, they convey much needed information on trade facilitation.

Longdefinition: The Liner Shipping Connectivity Index captures how well countries are connected to global shipping networks. It is computed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) based on five components of the maritime transport sector: number of ships, their container-carrying capacity, maximum vessel size, number of services, and number of companies that deploy container ships in a country's ports. For each component a country's value is divided by the maximum value of each component in 2004, the five components are averaged for each country, and the average is divided by the maximum average for 2004 and multiplied by 100. The index generates a value of 100 for the country with the highest average index in 2004. . The underlying data come from Containerisation International Online.

Shortdefinition:
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index score indicates how well countries are connected to global shipping networks
based on the status of their maritime transport sector. The highest value in 2004 is 100.

Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Review of Maritime Transport 2010.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: The Liner Shipping Connectivity Index captures how well countries are connected to global shipping networks. Starting in 2020 the index was improved and is published as a quarterly series with the index set at 100 for the country with the highest average in the first quarter of 2006. It is computed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) based on six components of the maritime transport sector: number of ships, their container-carrying capacity, maximum vessel size, number of services, the number of country-pairs with a direct connection, and number of companies that deploy container ships in a country's ports. The data are derived from Containerisation International Online (www.ci-online.co.uk). For each of the six components, a country's value is divided by the maximum value of that component in Q1 2006, and for each country, the average of the six components is calculated. This average is then divided by the maximum average for Q1 2006 and multiplied by 100. In this way, the index generates the value 100 for the country with the highest average index of the six components in Q1 2006. Annual values of the index equal the values of the first quarter of the same corresponding year.


Developmentrelevance:
Transport infrastructure - highways, railways, ports and waterways, and airports and air traffic control systems - and the services that flow from it are crucial to the activities of households, producers, and governments. Because performance indicators vary widely by transport mode and focus (whether physical infrastructure or the services flowing from that infrastructure), highly specialized and carefully specified indicators are required to measure a country's transport infrastructure.

The sea transport industry a vital engine of global socio-economic growth. It is of vital importance for economic development, creating direct and indirect employment, supporting tourism and local businesses, and stimulating foreign investment and international trade. Economic growth, technological change, market liberalization, and oil prices affect sea transport throughout the world.

IndicatorName: Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units)

Limitationsandexceptions:
Measures of port container traffic, much of it commodities of medium to high value added, give some indication of economic growth in a country. But when traffic is merely transshipment, much of the economic benefit goes to the terminal operator and ancillary services for ships and containers rather than to the country more broadly. In transshipment centers empty containers may account for as much as 40 percent of traffic.

Data cover coastal shipping as well as international journeys. Transshipment traffic is counted as two lifts at the intermediate port (once to off-load and again as an outbound lift) and includes empty units. Data for transport sectors are not always internationally comparable. Unlike for demographic statistics, national income accounts, and international trade data, the collection of infrastructure data has not been "internationalized."

Longdefinition: Port container traffic measures the flow of containers from land to sea transport modes, and vice versa, in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a standard-size container. Data refer to coastal shipping as well as international journeys. Transshipment traffic is counted as two lifts at the intermediate port (once to off-load and again as an outbound lift) and includes empty units.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: TEU is the standard unit, referring to 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container. The size of cargo containers range from 20 feet long to more than 50 feet long. The international measure is the smallest box, the 20-footer or 20-foot-equivalent unit (TEU). Two twenty-foot containers (TEUs) equal one FEU. Container vessel capacity and port throughput capacity are frequently referred to in TEUs.


Developmentrelevance:
Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

Generalcomments: Restricted use: Please cite the International Telecommunication Union for third-party use of these data. This indicator is not available in the World Development Indicators time series database.

IndicatorName: Fixed broadband sub-basket (US$ per month)

Limitationsandexceptions: Where several offers are available, preference is given to the cheapest available connection that offers a speed of at least 256 kbit/s and 1 GB of data volume. If providers set a limit of less than 1 GB on the amount of data that can be transferred within a month, then the price per additional byte is added to the monthly price so as to calculate the cost of 1 GB of data per month. Preference should be given to the most widely used fixed (wired)-broadband technology (DSL, cable, etc.). The sub-basket does not include installation charges, modem prices or telephone-line rentals that are often required for a DSL service. The price represents the broadband entry plan in terms of the minimum speed of 256 kbit/s, but does not take into account special offers that are limited in time or to specific geographic areas. The plan does not necessarily represent the fastest or most cost-effective connection, since often the price for a higher-speed plan is cheaper in relative terms (i.e. in terms of the price per Mbit/s).

Longdefinition: Fixed broadband sub-basket is the price of the monthly subscription to an entry-level fixed broadband plan. For comparability reason, the fixed broadband sub-basket is based on a monthly usage of (a minimum of) 1 Gigabyte (GB). For plans that limit the monthly amount of data transferred by including caps below 1 Gigabyte, the cost for additional bytes is added to the sub-basket. The minimum speed of a broadband connection is 256 kbit/s.

Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Fixed-broadband sub-basket refers to the price of the monthly subscription to an entry-level fixed broadband plan. For comparability reason, the fixed broadband sub-basket is based on a monthly usage of (a minimum of) 1 Gigabyte (GB). For plans that limit the monthly amount of data transferred by including caps below 1 Gigabyte, the cost for additional bytes is added to the sub-basket. The minimum speed of a broadband connection is 256 kbit/s.

Prices are reported and collected in national currency and then converted to USD. Prices include taxes.

Topic: Infrastructure: Communications


Developmentrelevance:
Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

IndicatorName: Population covered by mobile cellular network (%)

Limitationsandexceptions: Note that this is not the same as the mobile subscription density or penetration. When there are multiple operators offering the service, the maximum amount of population covered should be reported.

Longdefinition: Population covered by a mobile-cellular network is the percentage of people within range of a mobile-cellular signal, irrespective of whether they are subscribers or users or not. This is calculated by dividing the number of people within range of a mobile-cellular signal by the total population and multiplying by 100.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Percentage of population covered by a mobile cellular telephone network refers to the percentage of a country's inhabitants that live within areas served by a mobile cellular signal, irrespective of whether or not they choose to use it.
This is calculated by dividing the number of inhabitants within range of a mobile cellular signal by the total population.


Developmentrelevance:
The quality of an economy's infrastructure, including power and communications, is an important element in investment decisions for both domestic and foreign investors. Government effort alone is not enough to meet the need for investments in modern infrastructure; public-private partnerships, especially those involving local providers and financiers, are critical for lowering costs and delivering value for money. In telecommunications, competition in the marketplace, along with sound regulation, is lowering costs, improving quality, and easing access to services around the globe.

Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that there were about 6 billion mobile subscriptions globally in the early 2010s. No technology has ever spread faster around the world. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service using cellular technology, which provide access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) using cellular technology. It includes postpaid and prepaid subscriptions and includes analogue and digital cellular systems.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

Generalcomments: Please cite the International Telecommunication Union for third-party use of these data.

IndicatorName: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Limitationsandexceptions:
Operators have traditionally been the main source of telecommunications data, so information on subscriptions has been widely available for most countries. This gives a general idea of access, but a more precise measure is the penetration rate - the share of households with access to telecommunications. During the past few years more information on information and communication technology use has become available from household and business surveys. Also important are data on actual use of telecommunications services. Ideally, statistics on telecommunications (and other information and communications technologies) should be compiled for all three measures: subscriptions, access, and use. The quality of data varies among reporting countries as a result of differences in regulations covering data provision and availability.

Discrepancies between global and national figures may arise when countries use a different definition than the one used by ITU. For example, some countries do not include the number of ISDN channels when calculating the number of fixed telephone lines. Discrepancies may also arise in cases where the end of a fiscal year differs from that used by ITU, which is the end of December of every year. A number of countries have fiscal years that end in March or June of every year. Data are usually not adjusted but discrepancies in the definition, reference year or the break in comparability in between years are noted in a data note. For this reason, data are not always strictly comparable. Missing values are estimated by ITU.

Mobile subscriptions include both analogue and digital cellular systems (IMT-2000 (Third Generation, 3G) and 4G subscriptions, but excludes mobile broadband subscriptions via data cards or USB modems. Subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint or radio paging, and telemetry services are also excluded, but all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications are included. Both postpaid and prepaid subscriptions are included.

Longdefinition: Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Refers to the subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service and provides access to Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using cellular technology, including number of pre-paid SIM cards active during the past three months. This includes both analogue and digital cellular systems (IMT-2000 (Third Generation, 3G) and 4G subscriptions, but excludes mobile broadband subscriptions via data cards or USB modems. Subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint or radio paging, and telemetry services should also be excluded. This should include all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications.

Data on mobile cellular subscribers are derived using administrative data that countries (usually the regulatory telecommunication authority or the Ministry in charge of telecommunications) regularly, and at least annually, collect from telecommunications operators.

Data for this indicator are readily available for approximately 90 percent of countries, either through ITU's World Telecommunication Indicators questionnaires or from official information available on the Ministry or Regulator's website. For the rest, information can be aggregated through operators' data (mainly through annual reports) and complemented by market research reports. For additional/latest information on sources and country notes, please also refer to: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx


Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Refers to the subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service and provides access to Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using cellular technology, including number of pre-paid SIM cards active during the past three months. This includes both analogue and digital cellular systems (IMT-2000 (Third Generation, 3G) and 4G subscriptions, but excludes mobile broadband subscriptions via data cards or USB modems. Subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint or radio paging, and telemetry services should also be excluded. This should include all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications.

Data on mobile cellular subscribers are derived using administrative data that countries (usually the regulatory telecommunication authority or the Ministry in charge of telecommunications) regularly, and at least annually, collect from telecommunications operators.

Data for this indicator are readily available for approximately 90 percent of countries, either through ITU's World Telecommunication Indicators questionnaires or from official information available on the Ministry or Regulator's website. For the rest, information can be aggregated through operators' data (mainly through annual reports) and complemented by market research reports.

Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) indicator is derived by all mobile subscriptions divided by the country's population and multiplied by 100. For additional/latest information on sources and country notes, please also refer to: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx


IndicatorName: Price basket for mobile (US$ per month)

Longdefinition: Price basket for mobile is calculated as the pre-paid price for 25 calls per month spread over the same mobile network, other mobile networks, and mobile to fixed calls and during peak, off-peak, and weekend times. It also includes 30 text messages per month.


IndicatorName: Personal computers

Longdefinition: Personal computers are self-contained computers designed to be used by a single individual.


IndicatorName: Personal computers (per 100 people)


IndicatorName: International voice traffic, total fixed and mobile (out and in, minutes)

Longdefinition: International voice traffic is the sum of international incoming and outgoing telephone traffic (in minutes).


IndicatorName: International voice traffic, total fixed and mobile (minutes per person)


Developmentrelevance:
Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates that there were about 6 billion mobile subscriptions globally in the early 2010s. No technology has ever spread faster around the world. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

IndicatorName: Mobile cellular sub-basket (US$ per month)

Limitationsandexceptions: Unlike the 2009 OECD methodology, which is based on the prices of the two largest mobile operators, the ITU mobile sub-basket uses only the largest mobile operator's prices. Additionally, the ITU mobile-cellular sub-basket does not take into account calls to voicemail (which in the OECD basket represent 4 per cent of all calls), nor non-recurring charges, such as the one-time charge for a SIM card. The basket gives the price of a standard basket of mobile monthly usage in USD determined by the OECD for 30 outgoing calls per month in predetermined ratios plus 100 sms messages. The cost of national sms is the charge to the consumer for sending a single sms text message. Both on-net and off-net sms prices are taken into account. The basket considers on-net and off-net calls as well as calls to a fixed telephone and, since the price of calls often depends on the time of day or week it is made, peak, off-peak and weekend periods are also taken into consideration.

Longdefinition: Mobile cellular sub-basket refers to the price of a standard basket of mobile monthly usage for 30 outgoing calls per month (on-net, off-net, to a fixed line and for peak and off-peak times) in predetermined ratios, plus 100 SMS messages. The mobile cellular sub-basket is based on prepaid tariffs although postpaid tariffs may be used for countries where prepaid subscriptions make up less than three per cent of all mobile cellular subscriptions. The mobile cellular prepaid sub-basket is largely based, but does not entirely follow, the 2009 methodology of the OECD low-user basket.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Mobile-cellular sub-basket refers to the price of a standard basket of mobile monthly usage for 30 outgoing calls per month (on-net, off-net, to a fixed line and for peak and off-peak times) in predetermined ratios, plus 100 SMS messages. The mobile-cellular sub-basket is based on prepaid tariffs although post-paid tariffs may be used for countries where prepaid subscriptions make up less than three per cent of all mobile-cellular subscriptions. The mobile-cellular prepaid sub-basket is largely based, but does not entirely follow, the 2009 methodology of the OECD low-user basket.

Prepaid prices were chosen because they are often the only payment method available to low-income users, who might not have a regular income and will thus not qualify for a postpaid subscription. Rather than reflecting the cheapest option available, the mobile-cellular sub-basket therefore corresponds to a basic, representative (low-usage) package available to all customers. In countries where no prepaid offers are available, the monthly fixed cost (minus the free minutes of calls included, if applicable) of a postpaid subscription is added to the basket. To make prices comparable, a number of rules are applied.

Prices are reported and collected in national currency and then converted to USD. Prices include taxes.


IndicatorName: Telephone average cost of call to US (US$ per three minutes)

Longdefinition: Cost of international call to U.S. is the cost of a three-minute, peak rate, fixed line call from the country to the United States.


IndicatorName: Telephone faults (per 100 mainlines)

Longdefinition: Telephone mainline faults is the number of reported telephone faults for the year per 100 telephone mainlines.


Developmentrelevance:
The quality of an economy's infrastructure, including power and communications, is an important element in investment decisions for both domestic and foreign investors. Government effort alone is not enough to meet the need for investments in modern infrastructure; public-private partnerships, especially those involving local providers and financiers, are critical for lowering costs and delivering value for money. In telecommunications, competition in the marketplace, along with sound regulation, is lowering costs, improving quality, and easing access to services around the globe.

Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout.

Fixed telephone lines are those that connect a subscriber's terminal equipment to the public switched telephone network and that have a port on a telephone exchange. This term is synonymous with the term main station or Direct Exchange Line (DEL) that is commonly used in telecommunication documents. Integrated services digital network channels and fixed wireless subscribers are included. A fixed line also refers to a phone which uses a solid medium telephone line such as a metal wire or fiber optic cable for transmission as distinguished from a mobile cellular line which uses radio waves for transmission.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

IndicatorName: Fixed telephone subscriptions

Limitationsandexceptions:
Operators have traditionally been the main source of telecommunications data, so information on subscriptions has been widely available for most countries. This gives a general idea of access, but a more precise measure is the penetration rate - the share of households with access to telecommunications. During the past few years more information on information and communication technology use has become available from household and business surveys. Also important are data on actual use of telecommunications services. Ideally, statistics on telecommunications (and other information and communications technologies) should be compiled for all three measures: subscriptions, access, and use. The quality of data varies among reporting countries as a result of differences in regulations covering data provision and availability.

Discrepancies between global and national figures may arise when countries use a different definition than the one used by ITU. For example, some countries do not include the number of ISDN channels when calculating the number of fixed telephone lines. Discrepancies may also arise in cases where the end of a fiscal year differs from that used by ITU, which is the end of December of every year. A number of countries have fiscal years that end in March or June of every year. Data are usually not adjusted but discrepancies in the definition, reference year or the break in comparability in between years are noted in a data note. For this reason, data are not always strictly comparable. Missing values are estimated by ITU.

Longdefinition: Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
A fixed telephone line (previously called main telephone line in operation) is an active line connecting the subscriber's terminal equipment to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and which has a dedicated port in the telephone exchange equipment. This term is synonymous with the terms main station or Direct Exchange Line (DEL) that are commonly used in telecommunication documents. It may not be the same as an access line or a subscriber. This should include the active number of analog fixed telephone lines, ISDN channels, fixed wireless, public payphones and VoIP subscriptions. Active lines are those that have registered an activity in the past three months.

Data on fixed telephone lines are derived using administrative data that countries (usually the regulatory telecommunication authority or the Ministry in charge of telecommunications) regularly, and at least annually, collect from telecommunications operators. Data are considered to be very reliable, timely, and complete.

Data for this indicator are readily available for approximately 90 percent of countries, either through ITU's World Telecommunication Indicators questionnaires or from official information available on the Ministry or Regulator's website. For the rest, information can be aggregated through operators' data (mainly through annual reports) and complemented by market research reports. For additional/latest information on sources and country notes, please also refer to: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx


IndicatorName: Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people)

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
A fixed telephone line (previously called main telephone line in operation) is an active line connecting the subscriber's terminal equipment to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and which has a dedicated port in the telephone exchange equipment. This term is synonymous with the terms main station or Direct Exchange Line (DEL) that are commonly used in telecommunication documents. It may not be the same as an access line or a subscriber. This should include the active number of analog fixed telephone lines, ISDN channels, fixed wireless, public payphones and VoIP subscriptions. Active lines are those that have registered an activity in the past three months.

Data on fixed telephone lines are derived using administrative data that countries (usually the regulatory telecommunication authority or the Ministry in charge of telecommunications) regularly, and at least annually, collect from telecommunications operators. Data are considered to be very reliable, timely, and complete.

Data for this indicator are readily available for approximately 90 percent of countries, either through ITU's World Telecommunication Indicators questionnaires or from official information available on the Ministry or Regulator's website. For the rest, information can be aggregated through operators' data (mainly through annual reports) and complemented by market research reports.

Telephone lines (per 100 people) indicator is derived by all telephone lines divided by the country's population and multiplied by 100. For additional/latest information on sources and country notes, please also refer to: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx


IndicatorName: Price basket for residential fixed line (US$ per month)

Longdefinition: Price basket for residential fixed line is calculated as one-fifth of the installation charge, the monthly subscription charge, and the cost of local calls (15 peak and 15 off-peak calls of three minutes each).

Source: Calculated by the World Bank based on International Telecommunication Union data.


IndicatorName: Fixed broadband subscriptions

Longdefinition: Fixed broadband subscriptions refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s. This includes cable modem, DSL, fiber-to-the-home/building, other fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions, satellite broadband and terrestrial fixed wireless broadband. This total is measured irrespective of the method of payment. It excludes subscriptions that have access to data communications (including the Internet) via mobile-cellular networks. It should include fixed WiMAX and any other fixed wireless technologies. It includes both residential subscriptions and subscriptions for organizations.


Developmentrelevance:
The quality of an economy's infrastructure, including power and communications, is an important element in investment decisions for both domestic and foreign investors. Government effort alone is not enough to meet the need for investments in modern infrastructure; public-private partnerships, especially those involving local providers and financiers, are critical for lowering costs and delivering value for money. In telecommunications, competition in the marketplace, along with sound regulation, is lowering costs, improving quality, and easing access to services around the globe.

Comparable statistics on access, use, quality, and affordability of ICT are needed to formulate growth-enabling policies for the sector and to monitor and evaluate the sector's impact on development. Although basic access data are available for many countries, in most developing countries little is known about who uses ICT; what they are used for (school, work, business, research, government); and how they affect people and businesses. The global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is helping to set standards, harmonize information and communications technology statistics, and build statistical capacity in developing countries. However, despite significant improvements in the developing world, the gap between the ICT haves and have-nots remains.

There are several economic gains associated with broadband. For example, with DSL, users can use a single standard phone line for both voice and data services. This enables them to surf the Internet and call a friend at the same time - all using the same phone line. Broadband also enhances many Internet applications such as new e-government services like electronic tax filing, online health care services, e-learning and increased levels of electronic commerce.

Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

IndicatorName: Fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people)

Limitationsandexceptions:
Data are collected by national statistics offices through household surveys. Because survey questions and definitions differ, the estimates may not be strictly comparable across countries.

Fixed broadband Internet includes cable modem, DSL, fibre and other fixed broadband technology (such as satellite broadband Internet, Ethernet LANs, fixed-wireless access, Wireless Local Area Network, WiMAX etc.). Subscribers with access to data communications (including the Internet) via mobile cellular networks are excluded.

Advertised and real speeds can differ substantially. In some countries, regulatory authorities monitor the speed and quality of broadband services and oblige operators to provide accurate quality-of-service information to end users. Regional and global totals are calculated as unweighted sums of the country values. Regional and global penetration rates (per 100 inhabitants) are weighted averages of the country values weighted by the population of the countries/regions.

Discrepancies between global and national figures may arise when countries use a different definition than the one used by ITU. Discrepancies may also arise in cases where the end of a fiscal year differs from that used by ITU, which is end of December of every year. A number of countries have fiscal years that end in March or June of every year.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Data refer to subscriptions to high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s. This includes cable modem, DSL, fibre-to-the-home/building and other fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions. This total is measured irrespective of the method of payment. It excludes subscriptions that have access to data communications (including the Internet) via mobile-cellular networks. It excludes technologies listed under the wireless-broadband category.

Fixed broadband Internet subscribers per 100 people is obtained by dividing the number of fixed broadband Internet subscribers by the population and then multiplying by 100. For additional/latest information on sources and country notes, please also refer to: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx


IndicatorName: International Internet bandwidth (Mbps)

Longdefinition: International Internet bandwidth refers to the total used capacity of international Internet bandwidth. Used international Internet bandwidth refers to the average traffic load of international fiber-optic cables and radio links for carrying Internet traffic. The average should be calculated over the 12-month period of the reference year, and should take into consideration the traffic of all international Internet links. If the traffic is asymmetric (i.e. more incoming (downlink) than outgoing (uplink) traffic), then the average incoming (downlink) traffic load should be provided. The combined average traffic load of different international Internet links can be reported as the addition of the average traffic load of each link.

Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and TeleGeography.


Developmentrelevance:
The quality of an economy's infrastructure, including power and communications, is an important element in investment decisions for both domestic and foreign investors. Government effort alone is not enough to meet the need for investments in modern infrastructure; public-private partnerships, especially those involving local providers and financiers, are critical for lowering costs and delivering value for money. In telecommunications, competition in the marketplace, along with sound regulation, is lowering costs, improving quality, and easing access to services around the globe. Today's smartphones and tablets have computer power equivalent to that of yesterday's computers and provide a similar range of functions. Device convergence is thus rendering the conventional definition obsolete.

Comparable statistics on access, use, quality, and affordability of ICT are needed to formulate growth-enabling policies for the sector and to monitor and evaluate the sector's impact on development. Although basic access data are available for many countries, in most developing countries little is known about who uses ICT; what they are used for (school, work, business, research, government); and how they affect people and businesses. The global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is helping to set standards, harmonize information and communications technology statistics, and build statistical capacity in developing countries. However, despite significant improvements in the developing world, the gap between the ICT haves and have-nots remains.

Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

IndicatorName: International Internet bandwidth (bits per second per Internet user)

Limitationsandexceptions:
Data are collected by national statistics offices through household surveys. Because survey questions and definitions differ, the estimates may not be strictly comparable across countries.

Discrepancies between global and national figures may arise when countries use a different definition than the one used by ITU. Discrepancies may also arise in cases where the end of a fiscal year differs from that used by ITU, which is end of December of every year. A number of countries have fiscal years that end in March or June of every year.

Longdefinition: International Internet bandwidth refers to the total used capacity of international Internet bandwidth, in bits per second per Internet user. Used international Internet bandwidth refers to the average traffic load (expressed in Mbit/s) of international fiber-optic cables and radio links for carrying Internet traffic. The average should be calculated over the 12-month period of the reference year, and should take into consideration the traffic of all international Internet links. If the traffic is asymmetric (i.e. more incoming (downlink) than outgoing (uplink) traffic), then the average incoming (downlink) traffic load should be provided. The combined average traffic load of different international Internet links can be reported as the addition of the average traffic load of each link.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
International Internet bandwidth refers to the total used capacity of international Internet bandwidth, in megabits per second (Mbit/s). It is measured as the sum of used capacity of all Internet exchanges (locations where Internet traffic is exchanged) offering international bandwidth. If capacity is asymmetric (i.e. more incoming (downlink) than outgoing (uplink) capacity), then the incoming (downlink) capacity should be provided.

International Internet bandwidth per Internet user is obtained by dividing the amount of bandwidth (in bits/second) by the total number of Internet users.


IndicatorName: Secure Internet servers

Longdefinition: The number of distinct, publicly-trusted TLS/SSL certificates found in the Netcraft Secure Server Survey.

Source: Netcraft (http://www.netcraft.com/)

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: The survey examines the use of encrypted transactions through extensive automated exploration, tallying the number of web sites using HTTPS. This analysis relates to those sites found in the survey where the certificate is valid for the hostname, and the certificate has been issued from a publicly-trusted root. The indicator refers to valid, third-party certificates. Included are sites found in the survey where the common name in the certificate matched the hostname, and the certificate's digital signature was not detected as being self-signed. The location is derived from the hosting location of the sites using the certificates (rather than the countries indicated on the certificates themselves.) "Netcraft's survey counts (unique) valid certificates issued by widely-trusted third-party certification authorities. A certificate must be valid, that is it must be within its validity period (certificates are usually valid for up to 39 months), and the digital signatures on the certificate must check successfully. It must be issued by third party certificate issuer that is recognised by Netcraft. Netcraft investigate new issuers each month and determine whether they are third party issuers that could be expected to be trusted by some user base; CAs that issue only for one company are generally excluded, as are self-signed certificates." Netcraft note on the term “valid certificates": “There is nothing inherently "invalid" about private certification or self-signed certificates. But neither of these types of certificates are generally accepted by end-users' browsers, and browsers would typically report them as "invalid", so our terminology is consistent with normal user expectations.” [https://www.netcraft.com/] The data reflects the December survey in that year.


IndicatorName: Secure Internet servers (per 1 million people)

Source: Netcraft (http://www.netcraft.com/) and World Bank population estimates.


IndicatorName: Price basket for Internet (US$ per month)

Longdefinition: Price basket for Internet is calculated based on the cheapest available tariff for accessing the Internet 20 hours a month (10 hours peak and 10 hours off-peak). The basket does not include the telephone line rental but does include telephone usage charges if applicable. Data are compiled in the national currency and converted to U.S. dollars using the annual average exchange rate.


IndicatorName: Internet users

Longdefinition: Internet users are individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.


Developmentrelevance:
The digital and information revolution has changed the way the world learns, communicates, does business, and treats illnesses. New information and communications technologies (ICT) offer vast opportunities for progress in all walks of life in all countries - opportunities for economic growth, improved health, better service delivery, learning through distance education, and social and cultural advances.

Today's smartphones and tablets have computer power equivalent to that of yesterday's computers and provide a similar range of functions. Device convergence is thus rendering the conventional definition obsolete.

Comparable statistics on access, use, quality, and affordability of ICT are needed to formulate growth-enabling policies for the sector and to monitor and evaluate the sector's impact on development. Although basic access data are available for many countries, in most developing countries little is known about who uses ICT; what they are used for (school, work, business, research, government); and how they affect people and businesses. The global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is helping to set standards, harmonize information and communications technology statistics, and build statistical capacity in developing countries. However, despite significant improvements in the developing world, the gap between the ICT haves and have-nots remains.

IndicatorName: Internet users (per 100 people)

Limitationsandexceptions:
Operators have traditionally been the main source of telecommunications data, so information on subscriptions has been widely available for most countries. This gives a general idea of access, but a more precise measure is the penetration rate - the share of households with access to telecommunications. During the past few years more information on information and communication technology use has become available from household and business surveys. Also important are data on actual use of telecommunications services. Ideally, statistics on telecommunications (and other information and communications technologies) should be compiled for all three measures: subscriptions, access, and use. The quality of data varies among reporting countries as a result of differences in regulations covering data provision and availability.

Discrepancies may also arise in cases where the end of a fiscal year differs from that used by ITU, which is the end of December of every year. A number of countries have fiscal years that end in March or June of every year.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: The Internet is a world-wide public computer network. It provides access to a number of communication services including the World Wide Web and carries email, news, entertainment and data files, irrespective of the device used (not assumed to be only via a computer - it may also be by mobile phone, PDA, games machine, digital TV etc.). Access can be via a fixed or mobile network.


IndicatorName: Individuals using the Internet (% of population)

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: The Internet is a world-wide public computer network. It provides access to a number of communication services including the World Wide Web and carries email, news, entertainment and data files, irrespective of the device used (not assumed to be only via a computer - it may also be by mobile phone, PDA, games machine, digital TV etc.). Access can be via a fixed or mobile network. For additional/latest information on sources and country notes, please also refer to: https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx


IndicatorName: Daily newspapers (per 1,000 people)

Longdefinition: Daily newspapers refer to those published at least four times a week and calculated as average circulation (or copies printed) per 1,000 people.

Source: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.


IndicatorName: Fixed telephone sub-basket (US$ per month)

Limitationsandexceptions: The fixed-telephone sub-basket does not take into consideration the one-time connection charge. This choice has been made in order to improve comparability with the other sub-baskets, which include only recurring monthly charges. If the monthly subscription includes free calls/minutes, then these are taken into consideration and deducted from the total cost of the fixed-telephone sub-basket.

Longdefinition: Fixed telephone sub-basket is the monthly price charged for subscribing to the public switched telephone network (PTSN), plus the cost of 30 local calls to the same (fixed) network (15 peak and 15 off-peak) of three minutes each. The service refers to the traditional fixed telephone line and does not refer to, for example, prices for managed VoIP.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Fixed-telephone sub-basket refers to the monthly price charged for subscribing to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), plus the cost of 30 local calls to the same (fixed) network (15 peak and 15 off-peak calls) of three minutes each. The service refers to the traditional fixed telephone line and does not refer to, for example, prices for managed voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).

The cost of a three-minute local call refers to the cost of a three-minute call within the same exchange area (local call) using the subscriber's equipment (i.e. not from a public telephone). It thus refers to the amount the subscriber must pay for a three-minute call, and not the average price for each three-minute interval. For example, some operators charge a one-time connection fee for every call, or a different price for the first minute of a call. In such cases, the actual amount for the first three minutes of a call is calculated.

Many operators indicate whether advertised prices include taxes or not. If they are not included, taxes are added to the sub-basket, so as to improve the comparability of prices between countries. The sub-basket does not take into consideration the price of a telephone set.

Fixed-telephone access remains an important access technology in its own right in a large number of countries. Additionally, the conventional fixed-telephone line is used not only for dial-up Internet access, but also as a basis for upgrading to DSL broadband technology. While more and more countries are moving away from narrowband/dialup Internet access to broadband, dial-up Internet access still remains the only Internet access available to some people in developing countries.

Prices are reported and collected in national currency and then converted to USD.


IndicatorName: Telephone employees, total

Longdefinition: Telephone employees refer to the total full-time telecommunications staff.


IndicatorName: Telecommunications investment (% of revenue)

Longdefinition: Telecommunications investment refers to the investment during the financial year in telecommunication services (including fixed, mobile and Internet services) for acquiring or upgrading property and networks. Property includes tangible assets such as plant, intellectual and non-tangible assets such as computer software. The indicator is a measure of investment in telecommunication infrastructure in the country, and includes expenditure on initial installations and additions to existing installations where the usage is expected to be over an extended period of time. It excludes expenditure on research and development (R&D), annual fees for operating licences and the use of radio spectrum.


IndicatorName: Telecommunications revenue (% GDP)

License_Type: Use and distribution of these data are subject to ITU terms and conditions.

Limitationsandexceptions: Revenues from non-telecommunications services should be excluded.

Longdefinition: Telecommunications revenue is the revenue from the provision of telecommunications services such as fixed-line, mobile, and data.

Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: Total (gross) telecommunication revenue is the revenue earned from all (fixed, mobile and data including Internet) operators (both network and virtual operators) offering services within the country excluding revenues from non-telecommunications services. Revenue (turnover) consists of telecommunication service earnings during the financial year under review. This should refer to actual revenues earned by retailers and not from wholesale. Revenue should not include monies received in respect of revenue earned during previous financial years, neither does it include monies received by way of loans from governments, or external investors, nor monies received from repayable subscribers' contributions or deposits. Revenues should be net of royalties. It should exclude revenues generated from traditional broadcasting.


Developmentrelevance:
Access to telecommunication services rose on an unprecedented scale over the past two decades. This growth was driven primarily by wireless technologies and liberalization of telecommunications markets, which have enabled faster and less costly network rollout. No technology has ever spread faster around the world. Mobile communications have a particularly important impact in rural areas. The mobility, ease of use, flexible deployment, and relatively low and declining rollout costs of wireless technologies enable them to reach rural populations with low levels of income and literacy. The next billion mobile subscribers will consist mainly of the rural poor. Access is the key to delivering telecommunications services to people. If the service is not affordable to most people, goals of universal usage will not be met.

Over the past decade new financing and technology, along with privatization and market liberalization, have spurred dramatic growth in telecommunications in many countries. With the rapid development of mobile telephony and the global expansion of the Internet, information and communication technologies are increasingly recognized as essential tools of development, contributing to global integration and enhancing public sector effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

Longdefinition: Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions are total telephone subscriptions (fixed line plus mobile). Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones. Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Total telephone subscriptions are mobile cellular plus fixed-telephone subscriptions.

Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions refers to the number of subscriptions to a public mobile-telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile-cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.

Fixed-telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed-telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.


Longdefinition: Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions per employee are telephone subscriptions (fixed line plus mobile) divided by the total number of telecommunications employees.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Mobile cellular and fixed-telephone subscriptions per employee are telephone subscriptions (fixed telephone plus mobile) divided by the total number of telecommunications employees.

Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions refers to the number of subscriptions to a public mobile-telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile-cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.

Fixed-telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed-telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.

Telecommunications efficiency is measured by total telecommunications revenue divided by GDP and by mobile cellular and fixed-telephone subscriptions per employee.


IndicatorName: Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)

Shortdefinition: Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions are total telephone subscriptions (fixed line plus mobile).

Statisticalconceptandmethodology:
Total telephone subscriptions are mobile cellular plus fixed-telephone subscriptions. Data are divided by the total population and multiplied by 100.

Mobile-cellular telephone subscriptions refers to the number of subscriptions to a public mobile-telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile-cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.

Fixed-telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed-telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.


Developmentrelevance:
The digital and information revolution has changed the way the world learns, communicates, does business, and treats illnesses. New information and communications technologies (ICT) offer vast opportunities for progress in all walks of life in all countries - opportunities for economic growth, improved health, better service delivery, learning through distance education, and social and cultural advances.

Comparable statistics on access, use, quality, and affordability of ICT are needed to formulate growth-enabling policies for the sector and to monitor and evaluate the sector's impact on development. Although basic access data are available for many countries, in most developing countries little is known about who uses ICT; what they are used for (school, work, business, research, government); and how they affect people and businesses. The global Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is helping to set standards, harmonize information and communications technology statistics, and build statistical capacity in developing countries. However, despite significant improvements in the developing world, the gap between the ICT haves and have-nots remains.

IndicatorName: Households with television (%)

Limitationsandexceptions: Estimates of households with television are derived from household surveys. Some countries report only the number of households with a color television set, and so the true number may be higher than reported. Discrepancies between global and national figures may arise when countries use a different definition than the one used by ITU. Discrepancy may also arise in cases where the end of a fiscal year varies from that used by ITU, which is end of December of every year. A number of countries have fiscal years that end in March or June of every year.

Longdefinition: Households with television are the share of households with a television set. Some countries report only the number of households with a color television set, and therefore the true number may be higher than reported.

Statisticalconceptandmethodology: The proportion of households with a TV is calculated by dividing the number of in-scope households with a TV by the total number of in-scope households. A TV (television) is a stand-alone device capable of receiving broadcast television signals, using popular access means such as over-the-air, cable and satellite. It excludes TV functionality integrated with another device, such as a computer or a mobile phone.


IndicatorName: PISA: 15-year-olds by mathematics proficiency level (%). Below Level 1

Longdefinition: Percentage of 15-year-old students below the lowest proficiency level (scoring 358 or below) on the PISA mathematics scale. Students below Level 1 may be able to perform very direct and straightforward mathematical tasks, such as reading a single value from a well-labeled chart or table where the labels on the chart match the words in the stimulus and question, so that the selection criteria are clear and the relationship between the chart and the aspects of the context depicted are evident, and performing arithmetic calculations with whole numbers by following clear and well-defined instructions. Data reflects country performance in the stated year according to PISA reports, but may not be comparable across years or countries. Consult the PISA website for more detailed information: http://www.oecd.org/pisa/

Topic: Learning Outcomes