By Adeyemi Adepetun
The global digital economy has hit the $6 trillion mark, which is six per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP) and it is growing two and a half times faster than the physical economy.
The growth, according to the United Nation’s arm in charge of global communications, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), is good but far from even.
ITU Secretary-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, in her address at the 28th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD)
In Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, said 2025 marked the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
Bogdan-Martin, who noted that 160 years since the founding of the ITU, the United Nations agency for digital technologies and the 80th anniversary of the UN itself, said these milestones remind us how far we’ve come, and they challenge us to think critically about what comes next, especially at a time of unprecedented, accelerated change.
She noted that 2025 is also the year a million users joined ChatGPT in the span of an hour, saying it is the year large language models began passing the Turing test.
“But the real story here isn’t technology itself. It’s the potential digital holds to transform communities, empower the marginalised and deliver sustainable development for all.
“For 20 years, the WSIS Process has helped turn this potential into action, not by creating something new, but by strengthening what works: digital transformation that is human-centered, inclusive, and development-driven.
“That’s why the first theme of this year’s CSTD — ‘diversifying economies in a world of accelerated digitalisation’ — could not be timelier,” she stated.
Reeling out statistics, the ITU Secretary-General said the digital economy now accounts for over $6 trillion, saying that’s six per cent of global GDP and it’s growing two and a half times faster than the physical economy.
“But that growth is far from equal. Today, 2.6 billion people remain offline. one-third of humanity is disconnected from digital opportunities. In high-income countries, 84 per cent of people have access to 5G, compared to four per cent in low-income countries,” she stated.
According to her, two countries alone account for 94 per cent of AI startup funding and half of the world’s hyperscale data centres. She said Africa, by contrast, has between one and two per cent of global data centre capacity.
To her, these disparities make clear that sustainable digital transformation and universal, meaningful connectivity must be top priorities across every sector because nearly everything people are into has a digital dimension.
As such, she said every country deserves an opportunity to participate in the AI revolution.
Meanwhile, the World Bank is working to connect 2.6 billion people still offline, leaning on digital solutions to narrow a persistent divide.
The World Bank in a statement on its website at the weekend detailed the Accelerating Digitalisation Global Challenge Programme, aimed at speeding tech adoption in countries.
Its digital public infrastructure—IDs, payments, data platforms—ties people to jobs, banking, healthcare, and education with reliable systems. It also backs cross-border digital markets, encouraging private sector roles via shared rules.
A new effort, funded by the Gates Foundation through the Digital Development Partnership, targets affordable connectivity and digital skills for women in poorer nations. It supports the Bank’s goal to link 300 million more women to broadband by 2030.
World Bank Vice President for Digital Transformation, Sangbu Kim, stated, “Digital transformation is one of the greatest opportunities of our time to drive growth and inclusion, especially at a moment when development is at a critical inflection point.
“Digital technology can spark innovation, create jobs, and break down barriers to opportunity. With over 80 years of experience, the World Bank Group is uniquely positioned to help nations harness digital solutions for a more resilient future.”
