There remains a substantial mobile gender gap across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Over 300 million fewer women than men access the internet on a mobile, and women are 8% less likely than men to own a mobile phone. But the mobile internet gender gap is narrowing in LMICs. Although women remain 20% less likely than men to use mobile internet, this represents a reduction from 27% in 2017, and 54% of women now use mobile internet.

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2020 examines how the mobile gender gap is changing quickly in LMICs, revealing how the main factors preventing women’s equal mobile ownership and internet use are evolving over time, and demonstrating how mobile usage is quickly expanding as smartphone ownership rises.

Findings from this report are based on the results of over 16,000 face-to-face surveys commissioned by GSMA Intelligence across 15 low- and middle-income countries, and subsequent modelling and analysis of this survey data.