Mobile internet now connects 4.8 billion people globally, or 59% of the world’s population, but the pace of new adoption is slowing sharply, leaving 3.4 billion people still offline, according to the GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2026 report.
The report, published this September, reveals that approximately 160 million people began using mobile internet on their own devices in 2025, down from 190 million the year before. A further 650 million people access the internet exclusively through borrowed or shared devices.
More than 90% of those not using mobile internet live in areas already covered by mobile broadband, a phenomenon known as the “usage gap.” In total, 3.1 billion people (38% of the global population) live within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but do not use it. The report estimates that closing this usage gap would generate $3.5 trillion in additional GDP between 2023 and 2030, with over $1.3 trillion attributable to closing the gender gap in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
By contrast, the coverage gap (those living outside mobile broadband coverage) has shrunk to just 270 million people, or 3% of the global population, following an increase in coverage to approximately 40 million additional people over the past year.
Regional disparities remain stark. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the lowest percentage of its population using mobile internet, at just 25%. It also has the largest usage gap (66%) and the largest coverage gap (9%) of any region.
“Connectivity levels vary considerably not only between high-income countries and LMICs; least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states lag other LMICs substantially too,” the report states. Growth held steady across all development classifications in 2025, offering no indication that disparities are narrowing.
In LMICs, adults in rural areas are 28% less likely than those in urban areas to use mobile internet, while women are 12% less likely than men. Women represent the majority (58%) of the adult usage gap in LMICs, a finding that holds true across all regions worldwide.
The report identifies device ownership as the single biggest obstacle. The majority of the usage gap (70%) comprises those who do not own a device at all. Of the 3.1 billion people covered by mobile broadband who are not yet mobile internet subscribers, 920 million own a device but do not or cannot use it to access the internet. The remaining 2.2 billion have no device whatsoever.
The cost of an entry-level, internet-enabled handset represented 44% of average monthly income for the poorest 20% of people in LMICs by the end of 2025. Worse, prices are expected to rise dramatically due to increases in memory costs driven by AI demand. Reducing the entry-level device cost to $20–30 could make devices affordable to 1.6–2.2 billion people but the report warns that achieving such low prices will prove increasingly challenging.
The mobile internet user journey reveals that the most significant drop-off occurs between awareness of mobile internet and ownership of an internet-enabled phone, particularly among rural respondents and women. In Nigeria, for example, 86% of rural respondents are aware of mobile internet, yet only 51% own an internet-enabled phone a drop-off of 35 percentage points compared to 18 percentage points among urban respondents.
“Focusing on efforts to increase internet-enabled phone ownership, especially among rural populations and women who are already aware of mobile internet, is therefore likely to be the most effective way to significantly reduce the rural-urban and gender gaps,” the report advises.
5G coverage continued its rapid expansion in 2025, reaching an additional 690 million people. 5G now covers 57% of the global population (4.7 billion people), while 4G coverage stands at 94%. In LMICs, 51% of the population are now covered by 5G — gradually closing the gap with high-income countries, where coverage stands at 84%. However, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing states remain far behind, with 5G coverage of just 9%, 12% and 17% respectively.
Average global download speeds increased by 22% (14 Mbps) in 2025, but substantial gaps in network quality remain between LMICs and high-income countries, where average download speeds are approximately 3.5 times higher.
While an average of 83% of mobile internet users across surveyed countries report daily use, many engage in only one or two types of activity. Communications, social media and entertainment remain the most common uses, while income generation, ordering goods and services, online banking, and health and government services are among the least known and least used.
“Without regular and diverse use of the internet, mobile internet users are missing out on the full benefits,” the report warns, noting that women and rural respondents consistently use mobile internet less often and for a narrower range of activities than men and urban counterparts.
The report calls for concerted efforts to ensure equitable access to and use of mobile internet. Key recommendations include addressing the affordability of internet-enabled handsets, investing in digital literacy and skills, promoting gender-sensitive approaches to connectivity interventions, and expanding the diversity of mobile internet use cases beyond social media and entertainment.
As digitalisation accelerates and technologies such as AI reshape economies and societies, the report warns, “it is imperative that the unconnected in LMICs are not left further behind.”
