The "Evolving Landscape of Digital Inclusion in India" report by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) highlights several overlapping digital divides despite India's internet user base surpassing 1 billion by 2025.

Hidden Digital Divides in India

• The Device Divide: While 95% of households own a mobile phone, only 8% own a computer or laptop, creating a "mobile-only" internet experience that limits productivity.
• The Connectivity Gap: Despite massive expansion, 27.5% (32.2% in rural areas; 17.2% in urban areas) of Indian households remain entirely offline.
• Usage Skew: Internet engagement is overwhelmingly driven by entertainment (66%) and social media (53.8%), with limited uptake for education (16.1%) and government services (11.4%).
• The Dependency Factor: 20.4% of households require outside help to navigate digital services.
• Persistent Demographic Gaps: 
  • Gender remains a primary axis of exclusion, with only 35.6% of working-age women using the internet compared to 57.6% of men. 
  • Age-based exclusion is also stark, with only 9.4% of the elderly (60+) participating online.