Ry, a garment factory worker in Cambodia, transformed her role from employee to peer educator after receiving digital and financial literacy training. What began as personal learning enabled her to manage finances, use mobile applications, and eventually train her colleagues. Today, she helps other women use digital tools such as banking apps for payments, savings, and financial services, showing how digital skills can create opportunities within workplaces and beyond.
Across the world, digital literacy is increasingly seen as essential for women’s economic participation, yet significant inequalities remain. Women are still less likely than men to access the internet, and over 800 million people globally remain offline. Barriers such as high device costs, limited broadband access, low digital skills, and restrictive social norms continue to limit inclusion. Without targeted interventions, women risk being excluded as jobs, services, and financial systems increasingly move online.
To address this gap, the World Bank Group has committed to enabling 300 million more women to access broadband internet by 2030. This goal is supported by investments in affordable connectivity, enabling policies, and large-scale digital literacy programmes designed to equip women and girls with essential online skills. These efforts aim to ensure that access to the internet translates into real economic and social opportunities.
Research by the World Bank Group, based on over 100 digital literacy programmes worldwide, highlights that successful initiatives share key design principles. These include using appropriate delivery channels such as videos, radio, apps, and printed materials depending on the audience, and adopting flexible teaching approaches such as classroom learning or peer-based models. In Cambodia, peer-led training significantly improved financial engagement among women, increasing participation in financial transactions from 25% to 80%.
Effective programmes also focus on interactive and practical learning methods, including gamified tools and hands-on digital experiences. For example, in Uganda, a blended learning approach combining digital content with facilitator support greatly improved women’s digital skills and confidence. Similarly, in the Philippines, a game-based mobile app has helped young girls develop financial literacy in an engaging and safe environment.
In addition, wraparound support such as mentoring, childcare, transport, and safe learning environments plays a crucial role in programme success. In Nigeria, women participants in a World Bank-supported initiative gained both technical and entrepreneurial skills through structured mentoring and community support, helping them build confidence and apply their skills in real-world settings.
Overall, the findings show that digital literacy programmes are most effective when they are tailored to women’s needs and local contexts. When designed well, they not only improve access to technology but also help women build skills, confidence, and economic independence. This, in turn, contributes to broader development goals by connecting more people to productive work and supporting inclusive economic growth.
