Pakistan’s failure to close the gender gap in mobile internet use isn’t just a social issue it’s a lost economic opportunity costing billions annually.

The GSMA 2025 Mobile Gender Gap Report exposes a critical blind spot in Pakistan’s digital strategy: the deep inequality between men and women in mobile internet access. While mobile internet use has grown across the globe, only 39% of women in Pakistan use it, compared to 61% of men. This 22-percentage-point gender gap is not only one of the widest in the world, but it also suggests that half the population is being left behind as the digital economy grows.

What’s even more alarming is that rural women’s access remains dismally low, often under 25%, with little improvement year over year. Despite increasing mobile coverage, core barriers such as affordability, digital literacy, and restrictive social norms continue to prevent millions of women from reaping the benefits of mobile internet.

GSMA 2025 and the Economic Cost of Digital Gender Exclusion

The gender gap is not just a statistic it’s an economic handicap. According to GSMA data and the World Bank, the exclusion of women from digital connectivity is costing Pakistan up to $17 billion in lost GDP annually. This is because mobile internet is now a key gateway to:

• Digital financial services
  
• Online education and upskilling
  
• Entrepreneurship through e-commerce and social media
  
• Remote job opportunities
  

Yet, only 21% of women in Pakistan have access to formal financial services, compared to 63% of men a gap that digital tools could help close if more women were online.

Meanwhile, in countries like the Philippines and Mexico where mobile internet adoption is higher women are participating more actively in the digital economy, contributing to inclusive growth.

Closing the Gender Gap: Actionable Insights from GSMA 2025

For Pakistan, bridging the mobile gender gap should be a national priority. If businesses and governments want to unlock the country’s economic potential, they must:

• Subsidize mobile data and handset costs for low-income women.
  
• Launch large-scale digital literacy campaigns tailored to women.
  
• Address safety and security concerns such as online harassment and scams.
  
• Partner with local influencers and communities to shift cultural perceptions and promote inclusive digital norms.
  

The private sector, in particular, must realize that women are not a secondary market they are the missed market. Building inclusive tech solutions means capturing new consumers, creating jobs, and generating growth.