A woman wearing a blue face mask and pink plaid shirt stands outside yellow buildings with white doors, holding a phone and a small package. She has braided hair and carries a brown shoulder bag. The scene is brightly lit with sunlight.

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2021

Explore insights and data from the 2021 edition of this flagship report, examining barriers to women’s access to and use of mobile services.

Download the report

Webinar recording

Blog

Methodology report

Previous reports

Women’s access to mobile internet continues to increase across low- and middle-income countries with 112 million additional female users getting online in 2020. Despite this, the gender gap remains substantial. Women are 7% less likely than men to own a mobile phone and 15% less likely to use mobile internet. There are still 234 million fewer women than men accessing mobile internet. With the COVID-19 pandemic evolving across the world, there has never been a more urgent time to address this issue.

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2021 highlights how the mobile gender gap continues to improve in South Asia, but less so in other regions. It explores the key barriers preventing women’s equal access to mobile internet as well as the rise of women’s smartphone ownership, notably in India.

Findings from this report are based on results from over 9,000 face-to-face surveys across eight low- and middle-income countries, and subsequent modelling and analysis of this survey data. This year, additional qualitative research was conducted in India and Kenya to develop a more nuanced understanding of women’s access to and use of mobile internet, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The core data from this survey is available on request. Please email connectedwomen@gsma.com

A teal header reads "IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES:" against a pale teal background. Below, large teal text at left states “58%,” highlighting a statistic without further context or additional visuals present.

Report launch webinar recording

Missed our virtual launch event? Watch the recording now and hear from Isabelle Carboni, Insights Director of the Connected Women programme who shares the key findings, analysis and recommendations from the report. You’ll also learn how our partners are working tirelessly to improve digital and financial inclusion for women, reaching 50 million women and counting. You can watch the individual presentations and interviews by clicking on the speakers’ names below.

Download previous reports and resources

A woman in a colourful purple and teal patterned shawl smiles whilst talking on a mobile phone. She is seated outdoors with other women in the background. Text on the image reads: "Connected Women The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2020.
2020
A woman in colourful clothing and a headscarf balances a clay pot on her head whilst holding and looking at a mobile phone. Text on the left reads “GSMA Connected Women: The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019.” The background shows a rural outdoor setting.
2019
A smiling woman in an orange sari uses a mobile phone. Two women in colourful saris sit in the background, one working with her hands. The setting is outdoors with a rustic wall. Text reads: “The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2018” and “Connected Women, GSMA.”.
2018

Subscribe to the Connected Women newsletter

Do you want to keep up-to-date with the latest news from the GSMA Connected Women programme? Fill in the form below and we’ll send you the Connected Women newsletter once per quarter with the latest research, blogs, videos and events. From time to time we may also send you additional emails such as not-to-be missed webinar invites and report releases.

Connected Women Newsletter Subscribe Form-NEW










The GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019 has been ranked in the top 3 of the best free mobile tech reports in 2019 by IT Research Finder.

The GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2019 has been ranked in the top 3 of the best free mobile tech reports in 2019 by IT Research Finder.

The Connected Women programme is funded by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation (SIDA) and is supported by the GSMA and its members. The programme’s research and work is also funded by the Gates Foundation.

The image features the UK flag, followed by the text “UK International Development.” Below, in smaller font, are the words: “Partnership | Progress | Prosperity.” The design uses blue and red colors on a white background.
The image shows the Swedish flag—a blue field with a yellow Nordic cross—next to the words “Sweden” and “Sverige” written in blue, with “Sweden” above “Sverige” on a white background.
The image displays the text "Gates Foundation" in a dark, serif font against a plain white background. There are no additional graphics or colors present.