Decoding the 2023 SIDE Report

Main Highlights of the Report:

• From 2014 to 2021, the rate of increase in mobile broadband subscriptions was over 40% annually.
• The availability and accessibility of internet connectivity played a significant role in determining the survival of small and large businesses during the pandemic.
• Digital tools adoption is more prevalent among larger businesses: Post-pandemic, the disparity in the usage of digital tools between smaller and larger businesses widened to 26% for online sales, 33% for owning websites, 12% for online marketing, and 21% for having a social media presence.
• Despite the availability of 3G mobile broadband to 99% of Indians, not everyone is utilizing it.
• Even though the population of rural India is double that of urban India, the number of active internet users is only about half.
• In rural India , less than a third of women are internet users.
• The success of the Co-Win platform, which registered over a billion users in just 13 months, is not an isolated incident. Several Digital Public Infrastructure Platforms (DPIPs) are experiencing similar rapid growth.
• If not regulated carefully, DPIPs could potentially lead to the formation of monopolies and the exclusion of vulnerable groups, thereby exacerbating the digital divide .

Key Observations on the Gender Divide:

• The gender gap in mobile ownership in India has decreased from about 75 in 2014 to over 50 in 2021. Both Indonesia and South Africa, which were trailing India in 2014, have now overtaken India in this regard.
  • South Africa has made remarkable progress, with its scores rising from 20 in 2014 to over 70 in 2021.
  • Other countries, such as Turkey, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia, have also made significant strides in closing the gender gap in mobile ownership, with Japan being the only exception.
• The report reveals that only 29% of rural women use the internet, a number that is significantly lower than the 40% of men who are internet users.
• While the percentage of women with access to mobile phones has increased from 46% in 2015 to 54% in 2021, the gender gap in mobile phone usage has actually widened.
  • When it comes to the percentage of women using the internet, India unfortunately ranks at the bottom compared to other countries.
• In terms of income, the percentage of women on the internet is lower than in lower-middle-income countries, but higher than in the least developed and low-income countries.
  • The digital divide between rural and urban areas is still significant. In 2021, only 37% of the rural population had internet connectivity, compared to 69% in urban areas.