The Digital Divide
How unequal access to the internet and digital technology creates a new axis of inequality in the 21st century.
The Connectivity Gap
Roughly 2.6 billion people -- one-third of the world's population -- remain unconnected to the internet. The gap tracks existing inequalities: sub-Saharan Africa has an internet penetration rate of roughly 37%, compared to over 90% in Europe and North America. Within countries, rural areas lag behind cities, women lag behind men (the gender internet gap is 12% globally and 32% in least developed countries), and the poor lag behind the wealthy.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the digital divide in brutal clarity. When schools moved online, children without internet access or devices simply lost access to education. When government services went digital, those without connectivity could not access healthcare, welfare, or information. The pandemic accelerated digitization while leaving the digitally excluded further behind.
