According a survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), approximately 85.5 per cent of households in India possess at least one smartphone. The survey also found that around 86.3 per cent of Indian households had internet access within household premises.
The report mentioned that among individuals aged 15–29 years who own a mobile phone in rural areas, about 95.5 per cent owned a smartphone, compared to 97.6 per cent in urban areas. Meanwhile, for those aged 15 years and above in rural areas, smartphone ownership among mobile users stood at 79.2 per cent for males and 75.6 per cent for females. In urban areas, these figures were 89.4 per cent for males and 86.2 per cent for females.
It further highlighted that the key reasons for not using the internet included lack of availability in the area, lack of knowledge or awareness, restrictions on usage, high cost of equipment or service, absence of local content, privacy or security concerns, internet not meeting personal or household needs, and perceiving no need for the internet.
