1/3 of the world’s population is still without internet. There are 2.6 billion people offline, among them women are the most penalized, and increasing digitalization risks further widening economic and social inequalities. The latest statistics highlight the pronounced geographical and demographic inequality. In low-income countries, only 27% of their population has access to the network, in middle-income countries the level reaches 53%.
The differences are also pronounced in terms of urban areas, where on average around 83% have access to the internet, and rural areas with 48%.
Meanwhile, the situation appears more dramatic in this context of gender differences, as in poor countries, 90% of young girls have no access to the internet or digital skills.
The report highlights the inclusion and exclusion of information, and the direct impact they have on the economy, as according to the WB, the lack of digital services significantly affects economic growth in poor countries, marking a loss of $ 10 trillion in economic growth over the next 2 years. According to the IMF, this distance created by the use of Internet services is amplified even more by the development that Artificial Intelligence is experiencing, widening the distances between poor and rich countries.