By The internet has become such an integral part of our daily lives that we often do not even think about how much we rely on it. But if the internet were to go down globally for even just a single day, the economic impact would be enormous. Such interruption of online services would generate major disruptions across countless sectors.
According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team, a day without internet in the world would cost $43 billion. The United States and China almost make up half of the sum together, accumulating $21 billion.
The data is based on the NetBlocks Cost of Shutdown Tool. It estimates the economic impact of internet disruption, mobile data outage, or app restriction using indicators from the World Bank, ITU, Eurostat, and the U.S. Census.
The United States, one of the most connected countries regarding internet usage, would face huge losses of around $11 billion for a single day without online access. An outage would bring many economic activities in the US to a standstill. Both consumer spending and business operations would be severely disrupted.
China is estimated to lose nearly $10 billion, though this figure may underestimate the true cost. With China’s heavy reliance on manufacturing and exporting goods globally, an internet outage would significantly slow cross-border trade. However, China’s internet censorship and economic restrictions make its potential losses hard to assess accurately.
The United Kingdom, with its robust e-commerce and financial services sectors, would lose approximately $3 billion. Online shopping drives many UK retail sales, while its sizable banking industry relies on internet connectivity to function efficiently. The economic harm for the UK would be substantial.
Japan is predicted to suffer around $2.7 billion in damage, given the vital role that advanced telecommunications and internet technology play in its economy. From smart appliances to robotics, Japan’s innovative internet-enabled technologies and services would halt without access.
Germany’s world-leading manufacturing industry forms the backbone of its economy, with Industry 4.0 driving automation and efficiency. Losing the internet would severely inhibit Germany’s production and business operations, potentially costing $1.5 billion based on its GDP share and the high level of internet dependence across its industrial sectors.
On the other hand, countries, more specifically Oceanic islands such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Micronesia, would have the most minor losses if the internet shut down for a day. These countries would lose no more than $50K.
We often don’t appreciate the backbone role the internet now plays. An outage would bring activities to a standstill and underscore how much our economic functions depend on stable online access. Access to the internet should be a basic human right, and should not be restricted by governments or providers.
