Women crafting India’s digital inclusion and opportunity expansion story

The scale of India's digital transformation becomes striking when viewed through one statistic. The latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) shows that 64.3% of Indian women aged 15-49 were using the Internet in 2023-24. With India's population at about 143 crore, nearly 36 crore women fell within this age group. That means more than 23 crore women were online. To put that in perspective, the total population of the US in 2023-24 was 33.91 crore, of which 17.36 crore were women. In other words, India today has more women in this age group using the Internet than there are women in the whole of the United States. 

India's digital transformation story is often told through the lens of technological innovation, expanding internet connectivity, and the rapid adoption of digital services. Yet one of the most important developments in recent years has been the growing participation of women in the digital ecosystem. NFHS-6 findings signal growing integration of women into India's digital economy and the expanding role of technology in improving their everyday lives.