The sixth annual Mobile Gender Gap Report evaluates mobile ownership and mobile internet usage across low- and middle-income countries.
31 May 2023, London: Over 800 million women will need to adopt mobile internet in order to close the digital gender gap by 2030 across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to the latest Mobile Gender Gap Report published by the GSMA today.
The latest figures indicate that the gulf between the numbers of men and women using mobile internet will not be closed without an enhanced effort by a broad range of stakeholders. Progress in reducing the mobile internet gender gap remains stalled, with women in LMICs 19% less likely than men to use it, equating to around 310 million fewer women than men.
If the gap remains unchanged, current forecasts suggest that only 360 million more women (less than half of the 800m target) are expected to start using mobile broadband by the end of the decade.
The Mobile Gender Gap Report analyses mobile ownership and mobile internet usage in low- and middle-income countries[1] (LMICs) in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The report provides figures that uncover the scale of the mobile gender gap in each region, a review of the barriers to mobile ownership and internet adoption, and recommended actions for stakeholders, including policymakers, regulators, mobile operators and NGOs. It is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) via the GSMA Mobile for Development Foundation.
Other key findings from the report include:
While almost two-thirds (61%) of women across LMICs are now using mobile internet, their rate of adoption has slowed for the second year in a row - with only 60 million women adopting mobile internet in 2022, versus 75 million in 2021.
900 million women across LMICs still aren't connected to mobile broadband, of which two-thirds live in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Once women own a smartphone, their awareness and use of mobile internet is almost on par with men. Despite this, women are 17% less likely than men to own a smartphone in LMICs, translating into around 250 million fewer women than men.
There are still 440 million women across LMICs who do not own a mobile phone and are difficult to reach.
For mobile users who are already aware of mobile internet, the top-reported barriers to adoption are still affordability (primarily of handsets), literacy and digital skills, and safety and security concerns.
The majority of men and women who use mobile internet believe it has an overall positive impact on their lives and use it every day, with little difference between women and men.
Mobile ownership and mobile internet usage deliver significant benefits to women and their families, the economy and business.
Mobile phones are the primary, and often only, source of internet access in LMICs, particularly in rural communities, so it's alarming to see women's digital inclusion slow for the second year in a row, said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA. Greater collaboration across all stakeholders in the digital community, from governments to operators, NGOs to internet companies, is needed to enable more women to access and use mobile internet and ultimately ensure women are not being left behind in an increasingly digital world.
In 2016, the GSMA launched the GSMA Connected Women Commitment initiative, to support mobile operators reduce the gender gap in the customer base of their mobile internet or mobile money services. Since its inception, over 40 mobile operators across LMICs have made formal commitments to reduce the gender gap, collectively reaching over 65 million additional women, delivering significant socio-economic benefits to underserved women, their communities, and the economy.
Mobile network operators (MNOs) have been able to narrow the mobile gender gap by taking informed, targeted actions to address women's needs and the barriers they face to mobile internet adoption and use. But to fully address the issue, and achieve meaningful progress, will require increased focus and targeted action from all stakeholders, including MNOs, internet companies, policymakers and regulators, and the development community.
To learn more about the mobile gender gap in LMICs, download the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023.
-ENDS-
[1] The report is based on an analysis of face-to-face surveys conducted by the GSMA in Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Guatemala and Mexico
Notes to Editors
The GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative has so far collectively reached over 65 million additional women with mobile internet and mobile money services. Efforts to date include offering more affordable internet-enabled handsets to address women's price sensitivity; providing digital skills training targeting women, including rural women; recruiting female agents and merchants; developing and marketing use cases that appeal to women; creating mobile financial products for traditional women's savings groups; re-designing apps to make them simpler to use for those less digitally literate; improving the data top-up process to be safer and more appealing to women; and providing free emergency minutes and alerts to help women feel safer when using their mobile phones, among a wide range of other efforts that seek to address the barriers women face.
About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent i
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
The sixth annual Mobile Gender Gap Report evaluates mobile ownership and mobile internet usage across low- and middle-income countries.
