πΆ
Digital Exclusion
Roughly 2.6 billion people β a third of humanity β remain offline
β Improving
π« Society
π§ Understand
The trend
Connectivity keeps spreading, but growth has slowed: the remaining offline third is the hardest and least profitable to reach, and gender gaps persist.
The scale
On the order of 2.6 billion people are offline β not using the internet at all β overwhelmingly in poorer countries and rural areas. Coverage is no longer the main barrier: most of the offline live under a mobile signal they can't afford or can't use.
Root causes
Device and data costs relative to income, low literacy and digital skills, electricity gaps, and social barriers β in South Asia and Africa women are far less likely to be online than men.
Who suffers most
Rural, poor, older and female populations β and increasingly, being offline compounds every other disadvantage, as banking, market prices, health information and government services move online.
Common misconception
"The internet is basically everywhere now." A third of humanity has never been online; assuming universal connectivity quietly designs them out of modern life.
β‘ What actually works
Affordability policy & competition
Strong evidence
Spectrum policy, competition and targeted subsidies that push data and device prices down.
Cost & effect: Where prices fell below ~2% of monthly income, adoption followed; policy moves markets more than charity here.
Digital skills training
Promising
Basic-use training, especially for women β the biggest non-price barrier.
Cost & effect: Low cost per person; effects strongest when paired with a reason to use it (payments, prices, government services).
Community networks & public access
Promising
Locally-run connectivity and free public access points where markets won't go.
Cost & effect: Modest per community; sustainability depends on local ownership.
π§ Act
πΆ With your money
Fund digital-inclusion org types doing skills training and community networks in low-connectivity regions.
β° With your time
Teach one person to use the internet safely β digital literacy transfers one relationship at a time, including in your own neighborhood.
π οΈ With your skills
Network engineers and localizers: community networks and local-language content are built by volunteers like you.
π£ With your voice
Push for public services to keep offline channels while the gap exists β digital-only design excludes billions.
π£ Share this
β Questions people ask
How can I help with digital exclusion?
There's a concrete step for whatever you can offer. With your money, fund digital-inclusion org types doing skills training and community networks in low-connectivity regions. With your time, teach one person to use the internet safely β digital literacy transfers one relationship at a time, including in your own neighborhood. With your skills, network engineers and localizers: community networks and local-language content are built by volunteers like you. With your voice, push for public services to keep offline channels while the gap exists β digital-only design excludes billions.
What is the most effective way to reduce digital exclusion?
The approaches with the strongest evidence: Affordability policy & competition: Spectrum policy, competition and targeted subsidies that push data and device prices down. Where prices fell below ~2% of monthly income, adoption followed; policy moves markets more than charity here. Digital skills training: Basic-use training, especially for women β the biggest non-price barrier. Low cost per person; effects strongest when paired with a reason to use it (payments, prices, government services).
Where should I donate to help with digital exclusion?
Impact Compass doesn't name individual charities. The higher-leverage path is to back the interventions that work best here (Affordability policy & competition, Digital skills training) and to choose organizations by how transparently they deliver them. Compare organization types for this cause with the free tools linked above, or give useful items directly through Givelink.
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Rough figures for context, drawing on: ITU Β· GSMA Β· World Bank. Approximations, not citations. Last reviewed 2026-07-16.
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