Only 8.7% households have computers: BBS survey

Only 8.7 per cent of households in Bangladesh have a computer, found a government survey, underscoring the lack of access to digital devices and their unaffordability. 

The digital divide is also palpable in terms of computer ownership as only 3.1 per cent of rural households and 25.6 per cent of urban households own a computer.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics carried out the survey titled the "Survey on ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households 2022".

Access, usage and ownership of ICT are key to linking communities, facilitating businesses and empowering communities socially and economically, said the survey report.

"It is therefore imperative that every effort is made to bridge the digital divide between those who have information and those who need the information," it said.

Access, usage and ownership of ICT are key to linking communities, facilitating businesses and empowering communities socially and economically, said the survey report

In general, household ownership of personal computers and mobile phones and their access to the internet are closely linked and dependent on household incomes.

The highest proportion of households with a computer is in Dhaka (15 per cent) while the lowest in Barishal (4 per cent).

At the national level, only 0.8 per cent of households in Bangladesh have a fixed line telephone connection.

Some 38.1 per cent of households have internet access at home.

The survey said 12.8 per cent of households in Bangladesh have a radio while 62 per cent at least one television.

The highest proportion of households with a radio is in Barishal (29 per cent) and the lowest in Rangpur (4 per cent).

The highest proportion of households with a television is in Dhaka (68.1 per cent) and the lowest in Khulna (54 per cent).

The proportion of households with a telephone is 97.4 per cent. The highest are in Dhaka and Sylhet (98.6 per cent) and the lowest is in Rangpur (94.8 per cent).

The highest proportion of households with internet is in Dhaka (58.2 per cent) and lowest in Rajshahi (19.7 per cent).

The proportion of households with a mobile (cellular) phone is 97.4 per cent. The highest are in Dhaka and Sylhet (98.6 per cent) and the lowest in Rangpur (94.8 per cent).

The proportion of households with a smartphone is (52.2 per cent). The highest is in Dhaka (69.4 per cent) and the lowest in Rajshahi (32 per cent).

The proportion of households with internet by mobile broadband network via a handset is 59.8 per cent.

At the national level, 41,433,742 households have a mobile phone, 22,193,311 smart phone, 325,580 fixed telephone, 5,431,793 radio, 26,354,551 television, 41,435,264 telephone, 3,687,455 computer and 16,198,194 internet.