{"id":20520,"date":"2023-10-11T10:18:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T09:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/?p=20113"},"modified":"2025-10-22T11:23:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T10:23:16","slug":"smartphone-owners-are-now-the-global-majority-new-gsma-report-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/smartphone-owners-are-now-the-global-majority-new-gsma-report-reveals\/","title":{"rendered":"Smartphone owners are now the global majority, New GSMA report reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The GSMA’s sixth annual State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report includes several first-time pieces of global and regional analysis, including the number of unique smartphone users and <\/em>analysis by device type<\/em><\/p>\n

11th<\/sup> <\/strong>October 2023, London<\/strong>: Over half (54%) of the global population \u2013 some 4.3 billion people \u2013 now owns a smartphone, according to the GSMA\u2019s annual State of Mobile Internet Connectivity Report 2023<\/a> (SOMIC) published today.<\/p>\n

Smartphone owners are much more likely to be aware of, and adopt, mobile internet services, as well as use it more frequently and for a wider variety of tasks. For example, of the 4.6 billion people now using mobile internet, almost 4 billion do so using a smartphone, representing just under half (49%) of the world\u2019s population. Meanwhile, 600 million people \u2013 8% of the global population \u2013 are accessing the internet using a feature phone.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the SOMIC 2023 report, breaks down mobile internet connections by device type, revealing significant regional variations. The global expansion of 4G and 5G networks has paved the way for over two-thirds (69%) of smartphone owners accessing mobile broadband to be doing so on a 4G-enabled device, while 17% are doing so on a 5G-enabled device \u2013 driven largely by mature markets such as North America and East Asia & Pacific. Meanwhile, 69% of smartphones used to access mobile internet in Sub-Saharan Africa, and 33% in the Middle East and North Africa, are still only 3G-capable, meaning 2G and 3G networks remain an important source of coverage for millions of users in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).<\/p>\n

The GSMA\u2019s sixth annual SOMIC report, published ahead of MWC Kigali 2023, analyses the latest trends in global connectivity since 2015, provides insights into mobile internet usage and barriers to adoption in LMICs, and outlines the key challenges that must be addressed to ensure everyone can connect to the internet.<\/p>\n

Spotlight on the usage gap and the digital divide<\/strong><\/p>\n

While more people are using mobile internet than ever before \u2013 57% of the global population \u2013 3.4 billion people remain unconnected. The majority of those who are not using mobile internet live in areas covered by a mobile broadband network \u2013 the usage gap. This usage gap has fallen slightly from 40% of the global population in 2021 to 38% in 2022 \u2013 representing 3 billion people \u2013 but remains substantial. By comparison only 5% of those not using mobile internet live in areas without mobile broadband coverage \u2013 the coverage gap.<\/p>\n

Regional discrepancies and a digital divide persist; for example, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia represent the regions with the least connected populations and where the usage gaps are 59% and 52% respectively. In LMICs, adults in rural areas are still 29% less likely to use mobile internet than those in urban areas, while women are 19% less likely to use mobile internet than men.<\/p>\n

In addition, the report reveals that two-thirds of the individuals who live within areas covered by a mobile broadband network but who are not using mobile internet do not own a mobile phone, highlighting the importance of tackling issues such as handset affordability. However, even where people do own smartphones, many are still unable to use them due to barriers such as digital skills and literacy, safety and security concerns, accessibility of enablers or services, and the availability of relevant content in local languages.<\/p>\n

The remaining third of the usage gap, representing 950 million people, consists of users who own or have access to a smartphone (350 million) or basic or feature phone (600 million), but are only using basic services like voice or SMS. Smartphone owners should, in theory, face fewer barriers to accessing the internet, given they already have a device, is often a primary barrier to using the internet.<\/p>\n

Other key findings<\/strong><\/p>\n