Africa Leads Global Internet Bandwidth Surge as Capacity Reaches 2,259 Tbps

Africa is driving the expansion of global connectivity, leading all regions in international internet capacity growth as total worldwide bandwidth reaches an unprecedented 2,259 Terabits per second (Tbps).

According to new mid-2026 data released by telecommunications market research firm TeleGeography, global internet bandwidth increased by 23% over the past year. While the broader global pace of growth has stabilized compared to earlier historical spikes, total international bandwidth has still more than doubled since 2022, expanding at a four-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23%.

While expansion varies significantly across continents, Africa recorded the fastest growth rate worldwide. Between 2022 and 2026, international internet bandwidth on African routes expanded at a compound annual rate of 35%.

Africa is first with 35%, followed by OOceania at 25%, Asia 25%, the Middle East 24%, Latin America 24%, U.S. and Canada 22% and lastly Europe , at 21%

Africa’s lead is being driven by major subsea cable investments, expanding cross-border terrestrial networks, and rapid growth in regional data center infrastructure. Oceania followed Africa as the second fastest-growing region, registering a 25% annual growth rate over the same four-year period.

Global internet traffic patterns have closely mirrored bandwidth additions. Both average and peak international internet traffic grew at an identical CAGR of 24% between 2022 and 2026.

TeleGeography’s analysis highlights several key factors shaping connectivity demand:

• Subsea Cable Deployments: Heavy investments in high-capacity submarine cables around the African coastline have brought unprecedented capacity to coastal landing stations, cascading inland to landlocked nations.

• Localization and Caching: The growth of local content delivery networks (CDNs) and cloud edge locations across emerging markets has helped keep local traffic within regional borders, optimizing international link usage.

• Emerging Technologies: Artificial intelligence traffic volumes grew by over 80% across mobile and fixed networks in 2025. While video streaming and social media still account for the bulk of bandwidth usage, the rise of AI applications is set to become a primary catalyst for long-haul capacity demand in coming years.

As transport unit costs fall with the deployment of 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps port architectures, emerging markets in Africa continue to benefit from improved economies of scale and enhanced digital inclusion.