Pakistan Tops Global Gender Gap in Mobile Money; GSMA

A new report by the GSMA has revealed that Pakistan has the highest gender gap in mobile money account ownership among surveyed countries, underscoring deep-rooted inequalities in financial access.

According to “The State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money 2026,” Pakistan’s gender gap stands at a staggering 63%, with only 13% of women owning a mobile money account compared to 35% of men.

In 2025, the survey covered ten countries in Africa and Asia: Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and, for the first time, Sri Lanka. It provides gender-disaggregated, demand-side data on key metrics along the mobile money user journey, including awareness, account ownership, usage patterns, and self-reported barriers to adoption.

Pakistan Tops Global Gender Gap in Mobile Money; GSMA

The report highlights that barriers to adoption remain widespread, particularly among women. A strong preference for cash continues to dominate, cited by 76% of women in Pakistan compared to 64% of men. Limited knowledge and digital skills further compound the issue.

One of the most striking findings is the role of social constraints: 39% of women in Pakistan reported family disapproval as a barrier to using mobile money—nearly three times higher than men (14%).

The gender divide extends beyond financial tools into basic access to technology. Nearly one-third of women in Pakistan still do not own a mobile phone, compared to just 6% of men. While there has been some improvement—women’s phone ownership rose by 10 percentage points since 2024—the gap remains significant.

Rural areas are particularly affected. Pakistan’s rural gender gap in mobile money ownership reaches 74%, compared to 42% in urban areas, indicating that geography amplifies existing inequalities.

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Usage patterns also reflect disparities. Among users, only 10% of women reported receiving customer payments in the past month, compared to 18% of men. Although some progress has been made in narrowing short-term activity gaps—such as a 40 percentage point improvement in the 7-day activity gender gap—overall engagement remains uneven.

Among mobile money users, notable gender gaps in 30-day activity exist in Egypt, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, and to some extent in Ethiopia and Uganda.

The 30-day activity gender gap reduced in Ethiopia (-22 pp) and Nigeria (-11 pp) and remained broadly unchanged in Kenya, Uganda, and Pakistan.

Encouragingly, year-on-year changes show the 7-day activity gender gap narrowing in Ethiopia (-33 pp), Nigeria (-19 pp), and Pakistan (-40 pp)