Where have network connection disruptions occurred?
The map below shows which countries/territories have been affected by network connection disruptions since 2015.
China
There is no evidence of internet disruptions in means of censorship.
2,870,238,733
Users deprived of internet access
52
Countries that have disrupted access to internet
52 out of 196 analyzed countries and territories have experienced network connection disruptions at least once since 2015, affecting slightly less than 40% of the global population.
Since 2015, 35 governments have disrupted their country’s network connection nationally, while 19 governments have imposed local network connection disruptions. (2 of these 51 countries have imposed both local and national network connection disruptions).
What sets off network connection disruptions?
The Internet Shutdown Tracker records cases of politically-motivated network connection disruptions and distinguishes the cause for each case. Below, local and national network connection disruptions have been broken down by cause.
Local network connection disruptions are more common than national disruptions and affect only a country’s single town, city or region. Surfshark has recorded 506 local network connection disruptions across the world since 2015.
National network connection disruptions are the strictest form of government-imposed internet censorship and also the most economically devastating. There have been 94 such cases in 38 countries since 2015 and they most commonly occur amid protests.
When have network connection disruptions happened?
The chart below shows network connection disruption count by region in six-month increments.
Over the last 5 years, at least 44 governments have imposed network connection disruptions. On average, 16 countries do so each year.
9 countries have imposed disruptions in 2023, which is less than the 5-year average. This might suggest that governments are switching to measures that are less likely to affect the country’s economy, such as restricting specific websites.