Empowered or Undermined? Women Entrepreneurs & the Digital Economy

This report explores the challenges women entrepreneurs currently face and offers actionable recommendations for global stakeholders.

Released for International Women’s Day 2025, the comprehensive report draws on responses from 2,870 women running businesses across 96 low and middle income countries, and highlights the common challenges and opportunities they face, with a particular focus on the role of technology. The report examines how online gender-based violence (GBV) shapes women’s behavior and digital inclusion, how women use digital tools—such as social media, AI, e-commerce and Mobile Money—and digital technology’s broader implications for their businesses.