Pakistan has recorded a landmark improvement in digital inclusion for women, with the GSMA Consumer Survey 2026 confirming that the country’s mobile internet gender gap has fallen to just 8 percent in 2025, down from 71 percent in 2017, representing one of the most dramatic reductions in the digital gender divide recorded anywhere in the world over an eight-year period. The survey also found that women’s mobile internet adoption in Pakistan has risen from a mere 8 percent in 2017 to 53 percent in 2025, with women having adopted mobile internet at a faster rate than men over the past year, directly contributing to the accelerated closing of the divide.
The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication welcomed the findings as evidence of Pakistan’s growing momentum toward a more inclusive digital future, stating that the results underscore the importance of expanding affordable connectivity, digital literacy, and access to technology for women. The ministry said the increasing participation of women in Pakistan’s digital ecosystem is a positive indicator of progress toward digital inclusion and socioeconomic advancement, and that greater access to mobile internet enables women to participate more actively in education, entrepreneurship, financial services, healthcare, and the broader digital economy. Overall mobile internet adoption across Pakistan has also risen significantly, reaching 58 percent of the adult population in 2025 compared to 26 percent in 2017, reflecting the expanding reach of digital services nationwide driven by growing smartphone affordability, network coverage expansion, and increased digital literacy among previously unconnected populations.
Despite the progress, the GSMA survey identified a persistent structural barrier in women’s digital access: approximately 28 percent of women mobile internet users in Pakistan access the internet through someone else’s device rather than their own, highlighting the continued affordability constraints that limit women’s ability to own personal smartphones and digital tools. This figure points to the risk that a significant portion of the recorded increase in women’s internet usage represents shared or borrowed access rather than independent digital participation, with implications for the depth and quality of the inclusion gains being measured. Addressing this dimension of the gender digital divide will require continued focus on device affordability, digital literacy, and income-generating pathways that give women the financial means to own and maintain their own connected devices.
The economic stakes of completing Pakistan’s digital gender gap closure are substantial. According to GSMA estimates, eliminating the mobile internet gender gap in Pakistan over an eight-year period could generate up to $55 billion in additional Gross Domestic Product, creating opportunities for growth, innovation, productivity, and inclusion across an economy where women’s full participation in digital services and digital commerce remains significantly below its potential. The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication reiterated its commitment to advancing the Digital Nation Pakistan vision by promoting universal connectivity, strengthening digital skills, improving device affordability, and ensuring an enabling policy environment for women and girls to fully participate in the digital economy, with the GSMA survey’s findings providing both validation of recent progress and a clear map of the work that remains.
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