One in four Indian households still offline despite near-universal mobile ownership, says report

The NCAER report discovered vital gaps throughout earnings teams, genders and training ranges. Whereas 71.4 per cent of households entry the web by means of mobile units, 27.5 per cent stay offline. Solely 35.6 per cent of working-age ladies use the web in contrast with 57.6 per cent of males, underscoring a persistent gender divide.
| Photograph Credit score:
Naturecreator

Despite near-universal mobile cellphone possession at 95.1 per cent, over 1 / 4 of Indian households stay fully offline, highlighting a major digital divide that has shifted from entry to alternative, in accordance with a report.

The report, titled ‘The Evolving Panorama of Digital Inclusion in India’, was launched by the Nationwide Council of Utilized Financial Analysis (NCAER) in partnership with The Quantum Hub (TQH) on Friday.

It attracts on the India Human Growth Survey (IHDS-3) carried out between 2022 and 2024, overlaying over 47,000 households.

“India’s digital growth over the previous decade has been unprecedented. The nation’s web consumer base grew from roughly 198 million in 2015 to greater than 1.03 billion by 2025, pushed by inexpensive smartphones, low-cost mobile knowledge, and fast growth in digital infrastructure.

“But, beneath this exceptional growth lies a extra uneven actuality. Inequalities emerge in the standard of connectivity, the units folks use, the abilities they possess, and the extent to which digital applied sciences translate into training, finance, work, authorities companies entry, and social participation,” the report famous.

Entry to mobile units is sort of common, however inequalities stay in the variety of mobile units owned by households. The common variety of mobile telephones per family will increase steadily throughout financial teams, from 1.5 among the many poorest households to 2.9 among the many richest households.

Moreover, whereas India’s web ecosystem is usually mobile-first — with 71.4 per cent of households connecting by way of mobile units — 27.5 per cent of households haven’t any web entry in any respect.

Past infrastructure, a persistent gender divide continues to form India’s digital panorama, with solely 35.6 per cent of working-age ladies utilizing the web in comparison with 57.6 per cent of males.

The examine additionally revealed a “hidden divide” in digital expertise, noting that amongst households that use digital companies, one in 5 (20.4 per cent) reported needing assist from somebody exterior the family.

This dependence on intermediaries rises to almost one in three amongst households with no formal training, indicating that for a lot of, the web features as a mediated service reasonably than an independently usable software.

“The information is obvious: connectivity alone doesn’t translate into functionality. India’s subsequent part of digital coverage should focus as a lot on purposeful expertise, vernacular design, and shutting the gender hole because it has on rolling out infrastructure,” stated Aparajita Bharti, co-founder of The Quantum Hub.

Revealed on June 6, 2026