Over $9 billion Was Spent in 2023 on Government Internet Shutdowns

According to the Top 10 VPN yearly report, deliberate internet shutdowns in 2023 cost the global economy $9.01 billion. 

It also examines every significant shutdown that occurred.

Economic impact of Internet shutdowns

These are some specific statistics:

• $9.01 billion: the economic cost of 2023’s internet outages

• 196 major self-imposed internet shutdowns happened in 25 countries

• 79,238 hours of government internet disruptions (Internet blackouts: 25,535 hours; Social media blocks: 53,703 hours)

• 747 million people impacted by deliberate internet shutdowns in 2023

• Twitter (X): the most banned social media network with 10,683 hours of intentional interruption, 18% more than Instagram and 26% more than TikTok

• Rusia: the most severely impacted country ($4.02 billion), followed by Ethiopia ($1.59 billion) and Iran ($920.3 million).

• Iraq: the country with the most internet shutdowns (66), nearly all of which were related to school exams.

• Manipur, India: with more than 5,000 hours of stoppage time, this was the longest shutdown in 2023.

• Impact on human rights: In 2023, 50% of government internet disruptions were linked to new violations of human rights, most usually limitations on the right to assemble.

Read more: Iran's Internet Price Increase Raises Censorship Concerns