NEW DELHI, Jul 9: Delhi has recorded a sharp expansion in digital connectivity over the past decade, with the number of internet subscribers in the national capital rising by around 38 million between 2015 and 2024, according to the Delhi State Indicator Framework Status Report 2025.
The report, prepared by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics of the Delhi government, presents a detailed review of the city’s performance across Sustainable Development Goal-linked indicators and highlights a strong upward trend in internet access and broadband usage in the capital.
As per the findings, internet subscriptions in Delhi stood at 18.49 million in 2015 and climbed steadily over the years to touch 56.51 million in 2024, reflecting the growing dependence on digital services, mobile connectivity and online platforms in everyday life. The figures indicate that the city has witnessed a major communications shift over the last ten years, driven by expanding infrastructure, rising smartphone use and increasing digital adoption among households and businesses.
The report evaluates Delhi’s status across 16 Sustainable Development Goals and 268 indicators, with one of the key focus areas being the strengthening of tools and systems needed to support sustainable development. Within that framework, improving access to information and communication technology and expanding affordable internet access remain important benchmarks for measuring progress.
To track this transition, the Delhi State Indicator Framework uses four core measures linked to digital access: total internet subscriptions, the percentage of youth and adults possessing information and communication technology skills, internet subscriptions as a share of the population, and the number of broadband subscribers.
The data shows that the city’s internet subscriber base rose from 18.49 million in 2015 to 20.59 million in 2016, before increasing to 26.79 million in 2017 and 31.14 million in 2018. The upward movement continued with 35.86 million subscriptions in 2019, 40.99 million in 2020 and 44.96 million in 2021. Delhi then registered 46.72 million subscribers in 2022, followed by 52.74 million in 2023 and 56.51 million in 2024.
The report also underlines Delhi’s progress in digital capability among its population. It states that the proportion of youth and adults equipped with information and communication technology skills reached 100 per cent by 2025-26, indicating a significant improvement in the digital readiness of residents.
Another major indicator points to the growing spread of internet access across the population. Internet subscriptions as a percentage of the total population stood at 77.52 in 2015-16. This rose sharply to 188.67 in 2018-19, crossed 200 at 204.47 in 2020-21 and increased further to 224.61 in 2021-22, reflecting the widespread reach of internet services in the capital.
Broadband penetration too has shown remarkable growth. The number of broadband subscribers per 10,000 people in Delhi was 2,883.37 in 2015-16. This jumped to 17,424.51 in 2019-20, then rose to 19,315.18 in 2020-21 and further to 19,792.32 in 2021-22, signalling a sharp improvement in high-speed internet availability.
Fixed broadband connectivity also moved upward during the period under review. The number of fixed internet broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants stood at 7.40 in 2015-16 and increased to 8.94 in 2016-17. It then edged up to 9.08 in 2017-18 and 9.31 in 2018-19 before accelerating to 10.48 in 2019-20. By 2021-22, the figure had climbed to 12.34, showing gradual but consistent growth in household and institutional broadband usage.
The report’s findings reflect Delhi’s expanding digital footprint at a time when internet access has become central to education, governance, commerce, financial services and public communication. The rise in subscriptions and broadband access also aligns with wider efforts to promote digital inclusion and strengthen the infrastructure required for sustainable urban development.
Officials view the increase in connectivity as an important indicator of Delhi’s progress toward achieving development targets linked to access, inclusion and technology enabled growth. The trends captured in the report suggest that the capital has made notable strides in integrating digital connectivity into its social and economic landscape, with internet and broadband services now playing a far larger role in the daily lives of its residents than they did a decade ago.