The gender gap in mobile internet adoption narrowed slightly in 2025, according to “The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026,” published by GSMA, an organization representing mobile operators. The report notes that progress remains slow and uneven, with women across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) 12 percent less likely to use mobile internet than men. This translates to 200 million fewer women than men using mobile internet, with the total number of women not using mobile internet in LMICs standing 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 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The gender gap also tends to be two to three times wider in rural areas than in urban areas across LMICs.
The report reveals that the primary way people in LMICs access the internet is through mobile phones. Yet the gender gap in smartphone ownership in LMICs is 13 percent, with approximately 210 million fewer women than men owning smartphones.
The top barriers are affordability, primarily the cost of handsets, as well as literacy and digital skills. Women are disproportionately affected by these barriers because of social norms and structural inequalities, including lower levels of education and income.
“While there has been a slow narrowing of the mobile gender gap since 2022, much more is needed to address persistent and significant gender gaps in mobile internet adoption and use,” said Claire Sibthorpe, head of digital inclusion at the GSMA. “We live in an increasingly digital world and technologies such as AI are creating greater digital divides and inequities, elevating the need to ensure digital inclusion for all.”
From 2023 to 2030, closing the gender gap in mobile internet adoption in LMICs could add $1.3 trillion to GDP. The report adds that access to mobile internet can transform women’s lives, giving them greater resilience in the face of economic, climate and political shocks.