Facebook Survey: 67 Percent of People Believe Internet Is a ‘Human Right’

Sixty-seven percent of people believe internet access is a human right, Facebook reported Monday. It said a significant gender gap remains, as men on average are 33.5 percent more likely than women to have access. Global internet connectivity grew 8.3 percent in 2017, but lower-income countries had a 65.1 percent increase. The largest increases were Rwanda (490 percent), Nepal (138 percent) and Tanzania (87.8 percent). Cost of mobile broadband data plans in lower-income nations fell 17 percent, the steepest drops in Argentina (89 percent), El Salvador (77 percent), Tanzania (69 percent) and Ethiopia (61 percent). Facebook said internet remains too expensive when compared with income, because lower-income countries haven't met the U.N. 2025 goal of internet access at 2 percent of gross national income per capita.