{"id":33839,"date":"2026-06-21T11:31:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-21T11:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=33839"},"modified":"2026-06-21T11:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-21T11:35:08","slug":"a-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=33839","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan\u2019s mobile internet gender gap falls to 8%, but phone ownership divide remains high"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GSMA report shows women\u2019s mobile ownership gap narrowed from 37% to 27%; 28% of female mobile internet users still rely on others\u2019 internet-enabled phones<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/uploads\/girls-using-mobile-phone-1781928800576-4k5mzm.png\" alt=\"Pakistan\u2019s mobile internet gender gap falls to 8%, but phone ownership divide remains high\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Size<strong>A<\/strong>AAAAAA<strong>A<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FontSans SerifSerifClassicModern<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan recorded a sharp narrowing in the gender gap for mobile internet adoption in 2025, with the gap falling to 8% from 25% a year earlier, according to the&nbsp;<em>GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026<\/em>, released at an event hosted by the Telecom Operators\u2019 Association (TOA), together with GSMA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report said the change in Pakistan was among the most notable country-level improvements in the surveyed low- and middle-income countries, driven by women adopting mobile internet at a faster rate than men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mobile internet gap narrows<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Pakistan, 53% of women and 58% of men used mobile internet in 2025, while the GSMA report placed the country\u2019s mobile internet gender gap at 8%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report defines the gender gap as how much less likely women are than men to own a mobile phone, own a smartphone or use mobile internet.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/uploads\/Pakistan-gender-gap-change-1781928452083-htevht.png\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan\u2019s improvement came as the broader gender gap in mobile internet adoption across low- and middle-income countries declined slightly in 2025, mainly due to progress in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Phone ownership remains a major divide<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the improvement in internet use, Pakistan continued to have one of the widest mobile ownership gaps among the 14 surveyed countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Women in Pakistan were 27% less likely than men to own a mobile phone in 2025, the highest gap among the surveyed countries. However, the figure marked an improvement from 2024, when the gap stood at 37%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report showed that 68% of women in Pakistan owned a mobile phone in 2025, compared with 93% of men.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/uploads\/Pakistan-ownership-and-mobile-internet-use-by-gender-1781928509452-8zjmwx.png\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The smartphone ownership gap also remained high. Only 40% of women in Pakistan owned a smartphone, compared with 57% of men, resulting in a 30% gender gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report said Pakistan\u2019s smartphone ownership gap narrowed by 18 percentage points, but women\u2019s ownership levels remained well below men\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Shared phones drive internet access<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan\u2019s case differed from most other markets because its mobile ownership gap was much higher than its mobile internet adoption gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report linked this to the high share of women who use mobile internet without personally owning an internet-enabled phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the report, 28% of female mobile internet users in Pakistan do not personally own an internet-enabled phone, compared with only 4% of male users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also found that 29% of female mobile internet users in Pakistan said they could not use the internet more because the phone they used was shared, compared with 17% of men.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/uploads\/Pakistan-shared-device-dependence-1781928529609-adicqy.png\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report said shared-device access can provide some connectivity, but it limits privacy, convenience, digital literacy and direct access to services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The difference in daily use was also significant among women in Pakistan who used mobile internet and owned an internet-enabled device, 94% accessed mobile internet every day. Among women who used mobile internet but did not own an internet-enabled device, daily usage stood at 48%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan\u2019s mobile internet awareness was almost equal among men and women. The report found that 15% of both men and women in Pakistan were unaware of mobile internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, 32% of women were aware of mobile internet but did not use it, compared with 27% of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This shows that awareness alone has not translated into equal adoption, particularly for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Literacy, cost, and family approval remain barriers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Literacy and digital skills were among the main barriers to mobile internet adoption in Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among women in Pakistan who were aware of mobile internet but did not use it, 32% cited reading and writing difficulties as the single most important reason stopping them from adopting mobile internet. The same proportion of men gave this reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When respondents were asked to identify all barriers to adoption, 57% of women cited reading and writing difficulties, 47% cited handset cost, 44% cited data cost and 43% cited difficulty using a mobile in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Family disapproval was a much larger barrier for women. The report showed that 17% of women in Pakistan who were aware of mobile internet but did not use it cited lack of family approval as the most important barrier, compared with 2% of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, 36% of women in Pakistan identified family disapproval as a barrier to adopting mobile internet, compared with 20% of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For existing users, the barriers shifted towards service quality, online safety and cost.<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/uploads\/Pakistan-barriers-for-women-1781928596532-9s37fy.png\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among women using mobile internet in Pakistan, 38% cited scams or fraud as a barrier to using mobile internet more, while another 38% cited slow connection speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other barriers to further use among women included data cost at 34%, harmful content at 34%, handset cost at 33%, information security at 33%, reading and writing difficulties at 31%, and shared phone access at 29%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ad powered by advergic.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among men in Pakistan, slow connection speeds were the most widely cited barrier to further use at 45%, followed by inconsistent or no coverage at 36%, data cost at 35%, and scams or fraud at 32%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Women use mobile internet less for economic activity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report\u2019s use-case data showed that Pakistani women who use mobile internet are most active in communication and entertainment-related activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among female mobile internet users in Pakistan, 68% used mobile internet weekly for video calls, 64% for instant messaging, 64% for online videos, 61% for online calling, 55% for social media and 48% for online entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Men reported higher weekly use across most categories. Among male mobile internet users in Pakistan, 79% used mobile internet weekly for online calling, 78% for social media, 76% for instant messaging, 75% for video calls, 74% for online videos and 64% for online entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The gender gap was wider in economic and service-related uses. Only 3% of female mobile internet users in Pakistan reported using it weekly to search for online job or business information, compared with 18% of men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For income generation, the figure was 11% for women and 18% for men. For online banking or mobile money, it was 11% for women and 30% for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Women also reported lower weekly use of mobile internet for government services, at 12% compared with 21% for men, and for employment or online work, at 11% compared with 22% for men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact on livelihoods and income<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report also examined the perceived impact of mobile internet on livelihoods and income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among self-employed women mobile internet users in Pakistan, 41% said mobile internet had improved their livelihoods and income, while 54% reported no impact, 3% said it had worsened outcomes and 2% did not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among unemployed women mobile internet users, 11% said mobile internet had improved their livelihoods and income, 70% reported no impact, 12% said it had worsened outcomes and 7% did not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For men in Pakistan, 18% of employed mobile internet users said it had improved livelihoods and income, while 58% reported no impact, 16% said it had worsened outcomes and 9% did not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among self-employed male users, 28% reported improvement, 60% said there was no impact, 7% reported worsening outcomes and 5% did not know. Among unemployed male users, 14% reported improvement, 69% said there was no impact, 12% reported worsening outcomes and 4% did not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global and regional picture<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across low- and middle-income countries, 65% of women use mobile internet compared with 74% of men, leaving women 12% less likely than men to use mobile internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ad powered by advergic.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This translates into around 200 million fewer women than men using mobile internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report estimated that 810 million women in low- and middle-income countries still do not use mobile internet, with more than two-thirds living in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across low- and middle-income countries, women are 13% less likely than men to own a smartphone and 7% less likely to own a mobile phone of any type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Around 385 million women in these countries still do not own a mobile phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The GSMA report is based on face-to-face surveys conducted between September and November 2025 in 14 low- and middle-income countries. The 14 countries surveyed were Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Uganda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey covered more than 16,000 respondents, with around 1,000 male and female adults aged 18 and above surveyed in most countries. In India, the sample was around 2,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pakistan was among six countries surveyed by the GSMA every year from 2017 to 2025, along with Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Guatemala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking at the event, Aamir Ibrahim, Chairman of TOA, said, \u201cPakistan\u2019s progress in narrowing the gender gap in mobile ownership and internet use is a significant achievement and demonstrates what is possible when government, industry, and other stakeholders work toward a shared goal of digital inclusion. Sustaining this momentum will require continued focus on affordability, digital skills, and creating more opportunities for women to independently participate in the digital economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reference Link:- <a href=\"https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/2026\/06\/20\/pakistans-mobile-internet-gender-gap-falls-to-8percent-but-phone-ownership-divide-remains-high\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/profit.pakistantoday.com.pk\/2026\/06\/20\/pakistans-mobile-internet-gender-gap-falls-to-8percent-but-phone-ownership-divide-remains-high<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>GSMA report shows women\u2019s mobile ownership gap narrowed from 37% to 27%; 28% of female mobile internet users still rely on others\u2019 internet-enabled phones SizeAAAAAAAA FontSans SerifSerifClassicModern Pakistan recorded a sharp narrowing in the gender gap for mobile internet adoption in 2025, with the gap falling to 8% from 25% a year earlier, according to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[30800,30803,25149,5994,483,222,30802],"class_list":["post-33839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-gender-gap","tag-gsma-mobile-gender-gap-report-2026","tag-internet-2","tag-modernization-3","tag-pakistan-2","tag-technology","tag-woment-empowerment","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33839"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33842,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33839\/revisions\/33842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}