The GSM Association (GSMA) has indicated that the rate at which women in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are adopting mobile internet has slowed down.
The GSMA made this known during a webinar organised to release its latest 2025 Mobile Gender Gap Report
The association’s report revealed that efforts to bridge the mobile internet gender gap in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) had continued to witness a setback.
The report said that women in these countries were now 14 per cent less likely than men to use mobile internet.
The GSMA said that this meant that about 235 million fewer women than men are online via mobile in LMICs.
“A significant 885 million women in these regions are still not using mobile internet, with roughly 60 per cent of them living in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
“The eighth edition of the GSMA report dug into data from 15 LMICs, examining why women are less likely to access and use mobile internet compared to men, “it said.
The report underscored the transformative potential of mobile internet for women in low- and middle-income countries, citing its profound impact on their social connections, economic empowerment, and access to vital services such as healthcare and education.
It noted that the women who leveraged mobile internet reported significant benefits, including enhanced livelihood opportunities and improved overall well-being.
“Despite a notable increase in female mobile internet users, with 63 per cent of women in low- and middle-income countries now online, a substantial gap remains between men and women.
“Between 2017 and 2020, the mobile internet gender gap narrowed considerably, decreasing from 25 per cent to 15 per cent.
“However, this progress stopped in 2021 and 2022 with the gap even widening slightly, “it said.
The report emphasised the need for sustained efforts to address the complex interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors underpinning these disparities, and to promote equitable access to mobile technology for women.
It noted that in 2023, there was a glimmer of hope as the gap narrowed again, returning to 15 per cent, the same level as in 2020.
“Unfortunately, it has remained largely unchanged at 14 per cent today. The gap remains most pronounced in South Asia at 32 per cent and the Sub-Saharan Africa 29 per cent,” the report revealed.
Commenting, Head of Digital Inclusion at the GSMA, Claire Sibthorpe, said it was disheartening that progress in reducing the mobile internet gender gap had continued to stall.
Sibthorpe noted that the data highlighted the urgent need for increased focus and investment by all stakeholders working together to close the digital gender divide.
“The mobile internet gender gap is not going to close on its own. It is driven by deep-rooted social, economic, and cultural factors that disproportionately impact women.
“Our Connected Women Commitment Initiative shows that by taking concrete actions to address women’s needs and the barriers they face, it is possible to drive change.
“Since this initiative was launched in 2016, our operator partners have collectively reached over 80 million additional women with mobile internet or mobile money services, “Sibthorpe said.
She noted that while 61 per cent of women in LMICs now owned a smartphone, around 945 million women still do not.
Sibthorpe said this meant 230 million more women than men are without smartphones, a figure that had not improved much since 2023.
The report also stated that the cost of internet-enabled phones remained a major barrier.
It said for women in LMICs, the price of a basic smartphone could be 24 per cent of their monthly income, compared to just 12 per cent for men.
“Lack of literacy and digital skills is another significant reason why women who are aware of mobile internet are not using it.
“Even when women do get online, they tend to use the internet less often than men and for fewer things, “it said.
The GSMA estimates that if the gender gap in mobile internet adoption in LMICs were closed between 2023 and 2030, it could add $1.3 trillion to the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
It added that closing the gap in mobile ownership and use during this time could also generate an additional $230 billion in revenue for the mobile industry.
