Women still behind men in mobile access and digital payments: Global Findex 2025

• Worldwide, 88 percent of men have access to and use mobile phones, compared to 80 percent of women, many of whom still rely on shared devices
• In Sri Lanka (2024), 70 percent of women and 80 percent of men had access to mobile phones, while smartphone usage stood at 43 percent for women and 45 percent for men.

By Shannine Daniel

While the number of women whose access to mobile phones has increased, a digital divide still persists, the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Global Findex 2025 revealed. 

Globally, women’s mobile accessibility and usage currently stands at 80 percent, with the men eight percentage points ahead. 

The WBG noted that many women still rely on shared devices, which the global financial institution said indicates a strong untapped demand.

In South Asia, this gender gap is even wider. 

In Sri Lanka, as of 2024, 70 percent of women and 80 percent of men had access to mobiles. 

However, only 43 percent of women and 45 percent of men are having access to smart phones.

In India, only 54 percent of women owned mobile phones, well below 77 percent of men. 

In Bangladesh, 74 percent of the country’s women owned mobiles, but was a harsh divide as 91 percent of men in the country owned mobiles. 

According to the WBG, cost is the main barrier that limits access to mobiles, especially smartphones, for more than half of adults globally, with women and low-income users disproportionately affected.

Safety and harassment concerns also limit women’s use of mobile phones.

The WBG asserted that bridging these gaps is crucial for an inclusive digital future.

It also pointed out that phones increase digital financial use.

Globally, more than half of adults are now using an account with a mobile or card, while 42 percent of these adults make digital payments for both in-store and online purchases. 

In Sri Lanka, only 42 percent of women and 54 percent of men had made digital payments by 2024. In India, it was 36 percent of women and 54 percent of men, and in Bangladesh it was only 27 percent of women and 45 percent of men. 

The Global Findex Database is the world’s only demand-side survey on financial inclusion. 

It plays a vital role in tracking progress towards ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity by providing critical insights into financial inclusion, digital payments, and more. 

The latest edition, Global Findex2025, offers interactive features for easier data access for policy makers, economists and development professionals. 

It also introduced the Digital Connectivity Tracker that measures mobile phone ownership, internet use, digital safety, and the frequency of transactions using financial services.

Data for the Global Findex 2025 were collected from nationally representative surveys of about 145,000 adults in 141 countries. 

The previous editions were released in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2021. 

According to the Global Findex 2025, globally, 84 percent of adults own mobile phones, and three-quarters of this segment own smartphones.