India Has 100 Crore Internet Users, Yet 2 In 5 Govt Schools Are Still Offline

Last Updated:April 04, 2026, 09:12 IST

For millions of students from economically weaker sections, government schools remain the only point of access to digital learning

India is home to 100 crore internet subscribers, making it among the top three countries globally by number of internet users. However, more than 4.19 lakh government schools across the country still lack internet access—about two in every five—official data analysed by News18 shows.

As per the data, India had 10.13 lakh government schools in 2024-25. Of these, only 5.93 lakh had internet connectivity, while 6.10 lakh had computers and 5.34 lakh schools had functional computer facilities for teaching. This means that about three in five government schools have computers, but only two in five have functional systems for teaching.

India Online, Classrooms Still Offline

As per the Ministry of Communications, India had 1.02 billion internet subscribers as of December 2025 and 97.94 per cent of these are broadband subscribers. The official data also shows that 5G networks now cover over 86 per cent of India’s population.

The data from International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates for 2025 show that the average wireless data usage per wireless data subscriber per month for India is 25.70 GB compared to average monthly mobile broadband traffic of 17.9 GB per subscriber in high-income countries.

In total, India had 15.51 lakh schools in 2018-19, including 10.83 lakh government schools. The internet was only present in 2.90 lakh schools, including 1.05 lakh government schools. This means for every 100 schools in India, only 19 had internet. Similarly, for every 100 government schools in India, only 10 had internet, data from Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+), India’s central education management system, shows.

With the shift to online classes during the Covid-19 pandemic, post-2020, the number of schools with computers and internet improved significantly. By 2024-25, for every 100 schools in India, 64 had internet. Of every 100 government schools, 59 now have internet access. However, at least 5.37 lakh schools in India still don’t have internet, including 4.19 lakh government schools, Union Education Ministry data shows.

More Schools Connected, But Not Universally

Across India, networks are widespread, but classrooms remain offline with gaps as high as 73 percentage points in West Bengal. Just 16 per cent of the government schools in the state have internet connectivity against almost 90 per cent of the population covered by 5G.

West Bengal had 82,154 government schools of the total 93,715 schools in the state in 2024-25. In general, only 18 per cent of the schools in the state (17,441) have internet, including 13,147 (16 per cent) government schools. In 2018-19, of 97,828 schools in the state, 82,876 were government owned. Only 6,754 (seven per cent) schools in total, including 5,771 (seven per cent) government-controlled schools, had internet.

In 2018-19, none of the states or UT had 100 per cent schools with internet connectivity. However, by 2024-25, the picture improved to perfect scores in Delhi, Chandigarh and Lakshadweep. All the schools in these parts have internet. Puducherry is another UT where 100 per cent government schools have internet.

From 2% To 98%: States That Leapt Ahead

A few states buck this trend, including Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Odisha. In these states, school internet access exceeds 5G population coverage. (Shown in the graphics)

In Assam, there were 66,324 schools, including 47,223 government schools in 2018-19. Only 3,662 (6 per cent) schools, including 1,995 (4 per cent) government schools, had internet. By 2024-25, the number of total schools dropped to 55,238, including 44,741 government-controlled schools. The number of schools with internet access had gone up to 48,201 (87 per cent), including 43,874 (98 per cent) state-run. So, while just four per cent of government schools in Assam had internet in 2018-19, it reached more than 98 per cent by 2024-25.

Andhra Pradesh has increased the coverage in government schools from just eight per cent in 2018-19 to about 99 per cent government schools with internet.

Bihar has also seen a drastic jump in the coverage—from just 1,487 government schools (only two per cent of the total) with internet to 64,658 schools, now covering about 85 per cent of state-run schools.

Major states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, still have around 35 per cent government schools with internet. These states had less than four per cent government schools with internet.

India’s internet boom has reached pockets, phones and cities, but not yet every classroom, where it is needed the most. For millions of students from economically weaker sections, government schools remain the only point of access to digital learning. Even in 2026, India’s digital divide is less about access to networks and more about access to classrooms.

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