Economic Impact: ‘India lost $2.8 bn in 2020 to Internet shutdowns; over double of 20 others’

India suffered the biggest economic impact in the world in 2020 due to Internet shutdowns, adding up to 8,927 hours and $2.8 billion losses. Of the 21 countries that curbed Web access last year, as per a report by the UK-based privacy and security research firm Top10VPN, the economic impact seen in India was more than double the combined cost for the next 20 countries in the list.

The report added that the actual economic impact for India may be even higher than the $2.8 billion figure — which itself was double the losses on account of Internet shutdowns in 2019, with businesses in 2020 anyway hit due to the Covid lockdown. “As in previous years, India continued to restrict Internet access more than any other country — over 75 times in 2020.