State of India's Digital Economy Report

The report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) highlights the geographical and gender divides in India's digital ecosystem, underscoring the challenges in harnessing its full market potential.

Key Findings

• OTT Video Engagement (2024)
  • 51% of males versus 46% of females, a gender gap of 5 percentage points.
  • 40% of rural India versus 64% of urban India, a geographical gap of 24 percentage points.
• Email Usage (2024)
  • Geographical rural-urban divide is 14 percentage points.
  • Gender gap is 8 percentage points.
• Social Media Usage (2024)
  • Geographical gap is 24 percentage points.
  • Gender divide is 5 percentage points.
• Online Music Usage (2024)
  • Urban-rural divide is 17 percentage points.
  • Gender divide is 4 percentage points.
• Digital Payments (2024)
  • Geographical gap is 30 percentage points.
  • Gender gap is 5 percentage points.
• Online Search (2024)
  • Rural-urban gap is 11 percentage points.
  • Gender gap is 5 percentage points.

Progress in Closing Gaps

• Geographical gaps are closing faster than gender divides in most categories except OTT videos.
• Digital Payments Growth (2022-2024)
  • Rural consumer growth is 13.8% compared to 6.6% in urban areas.
  • Among males, usage growth is 7.7% versus 9.5% among females.
• OTT Video Growth (2022-2024)
  • Rural growth is 14.6% compared to 3.6% in urban areas.

Smartphone and Internet Usage

The gender gap in smartphone use in 2024 remains significant, with only 30% of rural women using smartphones compared to 45% of men, a gap of 15 percentage points.

Overall gender gap in smartphone usage remains at 13 percentage points from 2022 to 2024.

• Internet Usage (2024)
  • In rural India, the gender gap persists at 5 percentage points from 2022.
  • In urban India, the gap is slightly lower at 4 percentage points.