Pakistan leads global progress in ‘bridging mobile gender gap’

ISLAMABAD: The GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026 has highlighted Pakistan as the most improved nation among all surveyed countries in narrowing the mobile ownership gender gap, which sharply declined from 37 per cent in 2024 to 27pc in 2025. Pakistan also ranked among the top-performing nations across the 14 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) surveyed, recording robust improvements across nearly all indicators of women’s digital access and usage. A key highlight of the report was the dramatic reduction in the mobile internet gender gap, which plummet­­ed from 25pc to just 8pc in a single year — marking one of the fastest improvements recorded globally. Wo­­men’s mobile internet usage increased significantly during this period, while male usage remained relatively stable, indicating strong, independent momentum in women’s digital adoption. The report also underscored the critical role of personal device ownership in enabling meaningful digital engagement, revealing that 94pc of women who own a smartphone use mobile internet daily, compared to 48pc among those relying on shared devices. GSMA report underscores critical role of personal device ownership in enabling meaningful digital engagement Broader impact of connectivity It emphasised that mobile phones and mobile internet serve as life-changing resources, enabling individuals to connect with one another and access vital information, healthcare, education, income-generating opportunities, e-commerce, and financial services from anywhere. It added that in 2025, more than 3.2 billion people in LMICs accessed the internet using a mobile phone, confirming that mobile connectivity remains the primary gateway to the digital world for these populations. “Pakistan stands out as one of the strongest performers among the countries surveyed. This substantial reduction in the gender gap reflects meaningful progress driven by collective effort. Ensuring women have access to their own devices and a supportive digital ecos