Despite achieving near-universal levels of mobile phone ownership across the country, Nigeria has been identified as having one of the world’s widest mobile internet gender gaps.
According to the GSMA’s Mobile Gender Gap Report 2026, Nigeria ranks among the top five nations with the largest disparities between male and female mobile internet adoption out of 14 low- and middle-income countries surveyed. This persistent digital divide effectively cuts off millions of women from participating in the modern digital economy.
The data reveals that women in Nigeria are 26% less likely than men to use mobile internet while 56% of men in the country use mobile internet and only 42% of women do so. This puts Nigeria in the same category as other nations struggling with high digital disparities, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Uganda, and India.
While the awareness of mobile internet in Nigeria is high, many women still lack access to internet enabled devices. The report show that 90% of Nigeria women are aware of internet service yet only 56% owns an internet enabled device and just 42% use mobile internet. By comparison,93% of Nigeria men are aware of internet service, 70% own an internet enabled device and 56% use mobile internet.
This disparity suggests that owning a phone does not necessarily means internet access particularly for women.
This data underscores that even when men and women have similar levels of basic phone ownership, the gender gap widens significantly when transitioning to mobile internet adoption.
The report points to smartphone ownership as a central catalyst for the divide. Globally, an estimated 840 million women still do not own a smartphone, and women remain 13% less likely to own one than men.
Despite these ongoing challenges, the report highlights positive momentum in Nigeria. Between 2024 and 2025, Nigeria was noted as one of six countries where the mobile internet gender gap actively contracted because women adopted mobile internet services at a faster rate than men.
Furthermore, a significant transition in device preference occurred over the same 12-month period. Basic phone ownership among Nigerian women dropped by 10%, while their smartphone ownership climbed by an equal 10%. While men also experienced a rise in smartphone adoption, the rapid shift among women offers a promising foundation for closing the digital divide in the coming years.
The report shows that the closing of mobile internet gender gap could generate substantial economic growth. According to GSMA estimates, closing the gap could contribute $1,3 trillion to global GDP between 2023 to 2030, while creating a new opportunity for women, businesses and communities in digital economies.
