In poorest nations, 30% fewer women than men are online, with gap widening: report

Lisbon

ALMOST a third fewer women than men in the world's poorest countries are connected to the Internet and the gap is set to widen, limiting access to life-changing opportunities, an anti-poverty group said on Tuesday.

A study by the ONE organisation, co-founded by Irish rock star Bono to tackle extreme poverty, found 18 per cent of men in the 48 least developed nations are online versus 12.5 per cent of women, with a gender gap of 22.3 million or about 30 per cent.