LONDON, June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The gender gap in mobile internet adoption narrowed slightly in 2025 according to the ',' published today by the . However, progress remains slow and uneven. Women across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are still 12% less likely to use mobile internet than men. This translates to 200 million fewer women than men, with the total figure for women not using mobile internet in LMICs sitting at 810 million.
Of the 810 million women still not using mobile internet in LMICs, more than two thirds live in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the regions with the widest gender gaps in mobile internet adoption, at 26% and 25%, respectively. The gender gap also tends to be two to three times wider in rural areas compared to urban areas across LMICs.
The primary way people in LMICs access the internet is via mobile phones. Yet the gender gap in smartphone ownership in LMICs is 13%; around 210 million fewer women than men owning smartphones. The top barriers are affordability (primarily of handsets), literacy and digital skills. Women are disproportionality affected by these barriers, due to social norms and structural inequalities such as lower education and income.
, said,
From 2023 to 2030, closing the gender gap in mobile internet adoption in LMICs could add $1.3 trillion in GDP. Access to mobile internet can transform women's lives, giving them greater resilience in the face of economic, climate and political shocks.
More than 50 mobile operators have signed up to the , to accelerate women's digital and financial inclusion, reaching over 90 million additional women with mobile internet or mobile money services since 2016.
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