The new data from GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025, released yesterday, reveal a persistent global gender gap in mobile Internet usage in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
It further notes that literacy, digital skills, data security and accessibility remain critical barriers. The report highlights that 885 million women in these regions still do not use mobile internet, with almost 60% of them living in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
While mobile internet is the primary way women in low- and middle-income countries access the internet, providing essential lifelines for health, education and financial services, the pace of female adoption has stagnated, leaving 235 million fewer women than men connected.
Africa remains exposed to the growing threat of cyberattacks
Claire Sibthorpe, GSMA’s Director of Digital Inclusion, highlighted that the gender gap narrowed significantly between 2017 and 2020, but progress has stalled in recent years. While 2023 brought a slight improvement, restoring the gap to 15%, 2024 saw minimal change, with the gap settling at 14%.
The disparity is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, where women are 29% less likely than men to use mobile internet.
“It is disheartening that progress in closing the gender gap in mobile internet has stalled. The digital divide is driven by deep-rooted socioeconomic and cultural factors that disproportionately affect women,” said Sibthorpe.
The GSMA predicts that closing the gender gap by 2030 could add $1,3 trillion to the GDP of low- and middle-income countries and generate $230 billion in revenue for the mobile industry.
The report, funded by the UK FCDO, Sida and the Gates Foundation, highlights the urgent need for targeted investment and policy action to bridge the digital divide and ensure no woman is left offline.
“The gender gap in mobile internet usage is not going to disappear on its own. It is driven by deep-rooted social, economic and cultural factors that have a disproportionate impact on women,” said Sibthorpe.
