• Nigerians to work 1:40hr/month to afford mobile Internet
The quality of digital life in Nigeria, though slightly appreciated in 2025, is still low when compared to other countries in the region.
This is according to the seventh edition of Surfshark’s Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL) 2025, which ranked Nigeria 97th globally (previously 100th).
The study assessed countries’ overall digital wellbeing across five areas: Internet affordability, Internet quality, digital infrastructure, digital security and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Nigeria lagged behind South Africa (75th) and Kenya (95th). Finland tops the index, while the United States (U.S.) leads the AI pillar despite ranking 16th overall.
Surfshark said the Internet is unaffordable in Nigeria compared to other countries.
The report noted that Nigerians have to work about one hour and 41 minutes a month to afford mobile Internet. This is 14 times more than in Angola, which has the world’s most affordable mobile Internet (Angolans have to work seven minutes and 27 seconds a month to afford it).
Further, the report added that Nigerians have to work about 14 hours and 32 minutes a month to afford fixed Internet. It is 76 times more than in Bulgaria, which has the world’s most affordable fixed Internet (Bulgarians have to work 11 minutes and 26 seconds a month to afford it).
Be that as it may, Surfshark said Nigeria performed best in digital security, claiming 58th place, but faced challenges in Internet quality, ranking 117th.
The nation ranked 85th in AI, a newly introduced pillar in this year’s edition, 103rd in Internet affordability, and 108th in digital infrastructure.
Chief Security Officer at Surfshark, Tomas Stamulis, said: “Measuring digital quality of life is no longer possible without looking at AI implementation, which is why we made AI one of the core of our global benchmark report. It shows whether a country is attractive to AI investments and ready to integrate the technology into public services.
Higher positioning in AI development can streamline routine work, create new job positions, enhance public services, and support sustainable economic growth.
“Since AI is here to stay, all countries should start prioritising reliable nationwide connectivity,” he adds.
“That includes modernising and securing IT systems, training and reskilling their workforce, and adopting clear laws with effective oversight. However, what is concerning is that even some of the highest-ranked countries in AI development still lack strong data protection laws, which is essential when processing large volumes of sensitive information.”
Nigeria ranked lower in AI than 69 per cent of the countries analysed, with 84 countries above. The report claimed that Nigeria still struggles with digital infrastructure.
Advanced digital infrastructure enables people to utilise the Internet for daily life, from work and study to shopping. This part of the study examined both the number of people with Internet access and a country’s readiness to effectively leverage digital technologies. In Nigeria, 39 per cent of people have Internet access, ranking 108th in the world, while the country ranks 107th for network readiness.
This also ties in with Nigeria’s AI investment potential (ranked 88th) and AI readiness (ranked 83rd), showcasing the country’s attractiveness for AI investments and its readiness to integrate AI into
public services.
“Artificial intelligence can transform economies and improve quality of life,” said Stamulis, adding, “But without investment in digital infrastructure and ensuring society is ready to use these tools, AI risks widening the digital divide, leaving some countries and vulnerable populations behind.”
In AI development, the U.S. is at the forefront, followed closely by Singapore and South Korea. Europe has four countries in the top rankings: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Nigeria is 58th in the world in digital security, 18 places higher than last year
Digital security measures the safety of people online. Nigeria has improved its readiness to combat cybercrime and has established some data protection laws. Nigeria outperforms South Africa (79th) and Kenya (72nd).
The report further explained that Nigeria’s Internet quality is significantly lower than the global average, ranking 117th globally
According to the report, Nigeria’s fixed Internet averages 46Mbps. However, the world’s fastest fixed Internet, Singapore, is 463Mbps.
It stressed that Nigeria’s mobile internet averages 87Mbps. The fastest mobile Internet, UAE’s, is 576Mbps.
Compared to South Africa, Nigeria’s mobile internet is 17 per cent slower, while fixed Internet is 46 per cent slower. Since last year, mobile Internet speeds in Nigeria have improved by 12 per cent, while fixed Internet speeds have grown by 17 per cent.
What dragged Nigeria’s score down is the latency of mobile and fixed Internet connections. For instance, Kuwait, a top performer, has a mobile latency of 19ms, while Nigeria’s average is 49ms. Fixed internet latency in Nigeria is 39ms.
