South Africa is emerging as an African leader in terms of digital quality of life.

• South Africa is emerging as a digital quality of life leader on the continent with improved internet speed, mobile internet, and affordable internet.
• This is according to Surfshark's 5th annual Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL), which evaluates 121 countries using data from the United Nations, the World Bank, and other open-source information.
• Although South Africa has performed better than its peers, it still lags in cyber security.
• For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.

South Africa has emerged as Africa's digital quality of life leader, boasting improved internet speed, mobile speed, and affordable internet.

This is according to Surfshark's 5th annual Digital Quality of Life Index (DQL), which evaluates 121 countries representing 92% of the global population and sources data from the United Nations, the World Bank, and other open-source information.

The five pillars used to assess digital well-being of the countries include internet quality, internet affordability, e-security, e-infrastructure, and e-government.

The report revealed that South Africa performed best in internet affordability, securing the 52nd spot out of the five pillars considered in the index.

South Africa's internet quality was found to be close to the global average, with fixed internet in the country averaging 70 Mbps. The world's fastest fixed internet is in Singapore, which runs at a speed of 300 Mbps, while Yemen holds the position for the slowest fixed internet, at 11 Mbps.

Mobile internet in South Africa averages 68 Mbps, with the UAE boasting the fastest mobile internet at 310 Mbps. Venezuela, on the other hand, has the world's slowest at 10 Mbps.

“In many nations, 'digital quality of life' has merged into the broader concept of overall 'quality of life'. There’s no other way to look at it now that so many daily activities, including work, education, and leisure, are done online.

“That’s why it’s crucial to pinpoint the areas in which a nation's digital quality of life thrives and where attention is needed, which is the precise purpose of the DQL Index,” said Surfshark's spokesperson, Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske.

South Africa has seen some improvements in its internet speeds since last year.

Mobile internet speed in the country is said to have climbed by 30%, while fixed broadband speed is reported to have also increased by 30%. Compared to Kenya, South Africa's mobile internet is 79% faster, while its fixed broadband is a whopping 228% faster, according to the report.

The nation ranked 63rd in internet quality, and 72nd in e-security. This overall performance placed South Africa ahead of its African peers, surpassing Kenya (76th) and Nigeria (88th) and clinching the top position in the region.

Internet affordability

Internet affordability in South Africa stands out compared to other countries.

According to the report, South Africans have to work one hour and 43 minutes a month to afford fixed broadband internet, which is less than the global average but more than Romania, which has the world's most affordable fixed internet.

Romanians only have to work 18 minutes a month to afford the internet.

To get mobile internet, South Africans have to work one hour, 26 minutes and one second a month, which is five times more than in Luxembourg, home to the world’s most affordable mobile internet, where citizens work just 16 minutes a month to afford it.

Challenges

When it comes to e-security, a pillar that assesses a country's readiness to counter cybercrime and the sophistication of its data protection laws, South Africa dropped seven places to 72nd in the world compared to last year.

South Africa may lag behind Kenya (65^th) in this aspect, but it is performing better than Nigeria, which sits at 73rd.

The report said: 

On this front, South Africa sits in the 94^th position and 61^st in e-government, which refers to the use of modern communication technologies in the government sector, such as computers and the internet to deliver services to citizens.

According to the report, “Advanced e-infrastructure is critical for various daily activities conducted online, while e-government reflects the country's digital service readiness and AI preparedness.”

Global outlook

Globally, the affordability of the internet has improved since the previous year.

Fixed internet is now 11% more affordable on average, requiring people to work 42 minutes less each month to afford it. Mobile internet has seen a 26% increase in affordability, with people working 41 minutes less per month to afford it.