Historic Progress in Bridging the Digital Gender Divide in Pakistan
Islamabad — The year 2024 marked a transformative milestone for digital gender inclusion in Pakistan, as revealed in the GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025. For the first time since 2021, Pakistan recorded a substantial narrowing of the mobile internet gender gap from 38% in 2023 to 25% in 2024, representing the largest year-on-year improvement globally, across 80 surveyed countries.
While mobile internet adoption among women has steadily increased in recent years, 2024 stands out as a breakthrough year, driven primarily by uptake among rural women, with male adoption also increasing by seven percentage points. In total, 8 million women and 5 million men in Pakistan began using mobile internet services during 2024.
This historic progress is the result of coordinated efforts by stakeholders across the public and private sectors. Notable initiatives include the PTA’s Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy and commitments from Cellular Mobile Operators (CMOs) under the GSMA Connected Women Commitment Initiative, alongside the vital role of implementation partners.
Now in its eighth edition, the GSMA report emphasizes that the gender gap reflects disparities in internet adoption between men and women. The 2024 figures signal a powerful step toward inclusive digital empowerment in Pakistan.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
