Over 80% Pakistani women claim their spouse or parents "dictate their phone ownership"

Over half of Pakistan's population does not have access to the internet because of the inadequate digital infrastructure and affordability challenges, according to a report published by the Digital Development Index (DDI) on Tuesday.

The report was prepared in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and it was a part of the National Human Development Report 2024, launched by Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal.

According to the report, 54.3 percent population of the country does not have internet access.

The report noted the high subscription to mobile broadband in Pakistan is because of low rates, "but fixed broadband charges are unfordable for most households". 

The report placed the country in the ‘moderate’ category in digital development, noting that 83.5 percent of women who use the internet claimed that their spouse or parents dictate their phone ownership.

The researchers who participated in report-making spotted Islamabad as top with ‘very high’ digital development, followed by Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Haripur and Abbottabad in the ‘high’ category.

UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, said that over 60 percent of the population in Asia was using the internet, with women and marginalised groups being underrepresented.