Africa Recorded $1.56 Billion Economic Loss from Internet Shutdowns in 2024
In 2024, Sub-Saharan Africa faced a staggering $1.56 billion in economic losses due to widespread internet shutdowns, according to a recent report by Top10VPN, a global advocate for internet freedom and privacy.
These disruptions, totaling 32,938 hours, impacted more than 111.2 million internet users and highlighted the devastating consequences of intentional connectivity restrictions.
Africa emerged as the second-most affected region globally, after Asia, with internet shutdowns driven primarily by conflict and political instability. While the global financial impact of such shutdowns declined to $7.69 billion in 2024, a 15.8% drop compared to 2023—the number of incidents reached an all-time high, with 167 major disruptions across 28 countries.
Who Was Affected Most?
The report shed light on the platforms and countries hit hardest. Social media platforms remained frequent targets, with X (formerly Twitter) experiencing 20,322 hours of disruption, followed by TikTok at 8,115 hours and Signal at 2,880 hours.
Globally, Pakistan suffered the largest financial loss at $1.62 billion, followed by Myanmar at $1.58 billion and Sudan at $1.12 billion. Iraq recorded the highest number of shutdowns, with 61 disruptions tied predominantly to school exams, while Myanmar and Azerbaijan endured the longest outages, each lasting over 8,784 hours.
Economic and Social Fallout
The economic consequences of these shutdowns were matched by their social costs. Governments often imposed internet restrictions to suppress dissent, control information during conflicts, or address security concerns, significantly curtailing digital freedoms and access to critical services.
Internet blackouts, which completely cut off online access, were identified as the most severe form of censorship, often causing irreparable economic harm. Social media blocks, though disruptive, were more easily bypassed using VPNs.
Six Years of Rising Costs and Shutdowns
The report also highlighted the growing prevalence of internet shutdowns over the years.
- 2023: 196 disruptions lasting 79,238 hours cost $9.01 billion globally.
- 2022: 114 incidents spanning 50,095 hours resulted in $24.61 billion in economic losses, with Russia contributing the largest share.
- 2021: 50 shutdowns over 30,179 hours led to $5.45 billion in losses.
- 2020: 93 incidents totaling 27,165 hours caused $4.01 billion in damages.
- 2019: 134 disruptions lasting 19,207 hours inflicted $8.07 billion in losses.
This year’s findings shed light on the urgent need to address the dual threats of economic devastation and the erosion of digital freedoms posed by internet shutdowns. As these disruptions continue to rise in frequency and duration, their consequences on global connectivity and human rights remain profound.
