The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025

Mobile phones and mobile internet can transform lives by providing connectivity, information, healthcare, education, e-commerce, financial services and income opportunities from anywhere. In 2024, more people than ever accessed the internet via a mobile phone, including 3.7 billion people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Mobile remains the primary way people in LMICs access the internet, accounting for 84 percent of broadband connections in 2024. This is especially true for the underserved, including women and those who live in rural areas. In 14 of the 15 countries surveyed for this report, female internet users were more likely than their male counterparts to exclusively use a mobile phone to get online, with differences of up to 14 percentage points.

In this eighth edition, The Mobile Gender Gap Report shares the latest figures on women’s access to and use of mobile in LMICs, the barriers they face and how this compares to men. It also offers recommendations to close the mobile gender gap and reach more women with mobile, with suggested actions for mobile network operators, policymakers and regulators, the development community and other stakeholders.