Pakistan recorded a significant rise in mobile internet usage among women in 2024, reducing the gender gap in mobile internet adoption from 38% to 25%, according to the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025 released Wednesday.
This marks a substantial improvement, with women in Pakistan now 25% less likely than men to use mobile internet.
The report highlights Pakistan’s progress compared to the broader South Asian region, where the gender gap remains largely unchanged at 32%, leaving an estimated 330 million women without mobile internet access. Pakistan outperforms neighboring countries in women’s mobile internet adoption, with 45% of women online, compared to 39% in India and 26% in Bangladesh.
This represents a 12-percentage point increase from 33% in 2023, driven largely by rural women’s adoption.
Mobile internet usage among men also rose by seven percentage points during the same period. Pakistan leads South Asia in mobile phone ownership among men, with 93% owning a device, compared to 71% in India and 68% in Bangladesh.
The GSMA commended Pakistan’s telecom sector and regulator, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), for initiatives like the Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy 2020 aimed at closing the digital divide for women. Telecom operators Jazz, Telenor, and Ufone were praised for efforts to boost female mobile internet users as part of the GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative.
Industry experts welcomed the data, noting around eight million women in Pakistan came online in 2024. Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim emphasized that smartphones are crucial equalizers in the digital economy but identified ongoing challenges in rural and low-income areas, including social norms and affordability.
He stressed the need to involve family decision-makers to change mindsets and urged tailored solutions such as installment-based smartphone plans and localized digital literacy programs.
The GSMA report also noted high awareness of mobile internet among both men (89%) and women (86%) in Pakistan, underscoring the importance of awareness for increased adoption and safe, independent use by women.
