Persistent barriers, such as those related to affordability, skills, and safety concerns, continue to limit women's digital inclusion in low- and middle-income countries.
London, June 10, 2026: The gender gap in mobile Internet adoption narrowed slightly in 2025, according to the 'Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026', published today by the GSMA. However, progress remains slow and uneven. Women in 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, and the total number of women not using mobile Internet in low- and middle-income countries is 810 million.
The ninth edition of the GSMA report examines data on women's mobile phone access and use in low- and middle-income countries, the barriers they face, and how these findings compare to those of men. It also shares recommendations on how to close the mobile gender gap and get women online, which is vital to sustaining their livelihoods, their access to essential services and their ability to achieve their economic potential.
Geographic disparities persist
Of the 810 million women not yet 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 larger in rural areas compared to urban areas in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa. Least developed countries and landlocked developing countries also suffer from wider gender gaps in mobile Internet adoption.
Barriers to connecting to the Internet
The main way people in low- and middle-income countries access the Internet is through mobile phones. However, the gender gap in smartphone ownership in low- and middle-income countries is 13%, which equates to around 210 million fewer women than men owning smartphones in these countries, making it difficult for women to access the Internet.
Although awareness of mobile Internet remains high and almost equal among men and women, several barriers to its adoption remain. The main barriers reported are affordability (mainly of mobile phones) and digital literacy and skills. Women are disproportionately affected by these barriers, and feel them more acutely due to social norms and structural inequalities, such as lower education and income.
Even once women are online, they often face barriers to using mobile Internet as frequently and for as many use cases as men. The main barriers that women report to continued use are concerns about security, affordability (particularly data but also phones) and, to some extent, the connectivity experience. These barriers prevent women from taking advantage of the full benefits of mobile Internet to improve their lives.
Claire Sibthorpe, Director of Digital Inclusion at GSMAsaying, “While there has been a slow reduction in the mobile gender gap since 2022, much more is needed to address the persistent and significant gender gaps in mobile internet adoption and use. We live in an increasingly digital world and the proliferation of technologies such as AI is creating greater digital gaps and inequities, heightening the need to ensure digital inclusion for all.
“It is crucial to address the barriers that limit women's mobile Internet access and use. There is an urgent need to accelerate the pace of progress that has been achieved to date, requiring informed and targeted actions and investments by all stakeholders working together to achieve the important social and commercial benefits for women, societies and economies of addressing the mobile gender gap.”
Closing the mobile gender gap
Over the eight years from 2023 to 2030, closing the gender gap in mobile Internet adoption in low- and middle-income countries could add $1.3 trillion of additional GDP, and closing the gender gap in mobile device ownership and use in low- and middle-income countries could generate $230 billion in additional revenue for the mobile industry. Mobile Internet access can also transform women's lives, providing them with greater resilience to economic, climate and political crises and shocks, as well as access to digital services to improve their livelihoods.
With strengthened collaboration between government, industry and the development community, progress towards closing the mobile gender gap can be accelerated. With targeted and sustained intervention to improve phone and data affordability, expand digital skills and literacy programs, address security concerns, design mobile products and services to meet women's needs, and address social norms and structural inequalities, the international community can ensure that women are not left behind in an increasingly digital world.
Progress is already being made in this area through the GSMA's Connected Women Engagement Initiative. More than 50 mobile operators have committed to formal targets to accelerate women's digital and financial inclusion, reaching more than 90 million additional women with mobile Internet or mobile money services since 2016.
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Notes to editors
The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026 is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation, with research partly funded by the GSMA and the Gates Foundation.
About the GSMA
The GSMA is a global organization that unifies the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver critical innovation for positive business environments and social change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organizations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA offers its members three broad pillars: connectivity for good, industry services and solutions, and outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, addressing today's biggest societal challenges, supporting the technology and interoperability that make mobile devices work, and providing the world's largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
We invite you to learn more at gsma.com
About GSMA Connected Women
The GSMA Women Connected program works with mobile operators and their partners to address the barriers women face in accessing and using mobile Internet and mobile money services. Connected Women aims to reduce the gender gap in mobile internet and mobile money services and unlock significant business opportunities for the mobile industry and socio-economic benefits for women.
For more information, visit www.gsma.com/connectedwomen
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