A new study has found that South Africa lags behind much of the world in consumer adoption of AI mobile applications, with infrastructure constraints and digital inequality said to limit broader uptake.
Cybernews, an independent cybersecurity and tech media outlet, reported in its AI Adoption Index that South Africa ranks 58th out of 64 countries analysed, with a 16% consumer AI app adoption rate in 2025.
Cybernews noted that AI adoption in South Africa is constrained by several structural factors, with high mobile data costs limiting sustained use, while persistent digital inequality ― particularly between urban and rural areas ― restricts access to these tools.
During the period analysed, load-shedding disrupted connectivity, which further suppressed consistent use at scale.
Despite this low ranking, South Africa’s AI adoption has accelerated rapidly, rising from 3% in 2023 to 8% in 2024, before doubling again to 16% in 2025.
Among African countries measured, South Africa ranks fourth, behind Tunisia (41%), Algeria (37%) and Egypt (18%)
Over the same period, downloads climbed from 2-million to 5.1-million, then to 10.6-million, reflecting a 100% year-on-year increase between 2024 and 2025.
Singapore, Chile and the United Arab Emirates lead the 2025 rankings, posting consumer AI adoption rates of 66%, 60% and 56% respectively, reflecting deeper per-capita penetration than other markets analysed.
Among African countries measured, South Africa ranks fourth, behind Tunisia (41%), Algeria (37%) and Egypt (18%).
In compiling this study, Cybernews analysed download data for the 100 most popular AI-focused mobile apps across these countries, comparing total downloads with national population figures to estimate adoption rates.
The data, sourced from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store via a third-party provider, covers only apps where AI is the core product, excluding platforms that simply added AI features. Countries without reliable app download data were excluded, leaving the final sample of 64 nations. — TimesLIVE
