KNBS: Kenya internet demand surges to 5.19 billion GB as network capacity stalls

Kenya’s digital landscape has expanded at a fast pace in 2025, with internet consumption climbing to 5.19 billion GB as more users rely on online platforms for communication, work, entertainment, and services, according to the latest Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Economic Survey.

The report shows internet traffic grew by 84.3 per cent within a year, marking one of the sharpest increases in data use in recent years.

A major share of this growth came from mobile broadband, which reached 2.63 billion GB. This highlights how smartphones continue to dominate internet access across the country, with users increasingly depending on mobile networks for daily digital needs.

The surge is part of a steady upward trend recorded over the last three years. In 2023, total internet traffic stood at 1.74 billion GB. This figure rose to 3.60 billion GB in 2024 before jumping again to 5.19 billion GB in 2025, showing continuous acceleration in data consumption.

The increase has been linked to wider use of streaming platforms, online learning, digital payments, remote working tools, and growing smartphone ownership across urban and rural areas.

While usage has grown rapidly, improvements in network capacity have not matched the same pace.

Bandwidth per user remained almost unchanged, moving slightly from about 282.84 thousand bits per second in 2024 to 282.80 thousand in 2025. This reflects a situation where more people are online, but individual connection strength has not improved in line with rising demand.

The gap between rising consumption and limited capacity has placed pressure on telecom operators to manage heavier traffic within existing infrastructure. This has also raised concerns over possible congestion, especially during peak hours and in densely populated areas.

The findings point to a growing imbalance in the country’s digital system, where usage continues to rise sharply while infrastructure expansion remains slow.

As more Kenyans come online and depend on internet services for everyday activities, the strain on networks is expected to grow further unless capacity development catches up with demand.