NFHS data shows urban-rural, gender gaps in Internet use

On an average, less than 3 out of 10 women in rural India and 4 out of 10 women in urban India ever used the Internet, according to the survey.

On an average, less than 3 out of 10 women in rural India and 4 out of 10 women in urban India ever used the Internet, according to the survey. (File)

THERE IS an urban-rural gap as well as gender divide with respect to the use of Internet in 22 states and union territories, according to data collected by the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS).

On an average, less than 3 out of 10 women in rural India and 4 out of 10 women in urban India ever used the Internet, according to the survey.

In 2019, for the first time, the NFHS-5, which collects data on key indicators on population health, family planning and nutrition, sought details on two specific indicators: Percentage of women and men who have ever used the Internet.

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An analysis of the data by The Indian Express reveals a telling pattern on the key indicator on the use of the Internet in the country. First, only an average of 42.6 per cent of women ever used the Internet as against an average of 62.16 per cent among the men; second, in urban India, an average 56.81 per cent women ever used the Internet compared to an average 73.76 per cent among the men; and third, a dismal 33.94 per cent women in rural India ever used the Internet as against 55.6 per cent among men.

READ | NFHS Data: Malnutrition in kids worsens in key states 2015-19

The data from the 22 states and union territories was collected from 3.07 lakh households.

In urban India, 10 states and three union territories reported more than 50 per cent women who had ever used the Internet: Goa (78.1%), Himachal Pradesh (78.9%), Kerala (64.9%), Maharashtra (54.3%), Manipur (50.8%), Meghalaya (57.8%), Mizoram (83.8%), Nagaland (66.5%), Sikkim (90%), J&K (55%), Ladakh (66.5%), and Lakshwadeep (61.80%).

The five states reporting the lowest percentage of women, who ever used the Internet in urban India were Andhra Pradesh (33.9%), Bihar (38.4%), Tripura (36.6%), Telangana (43.9%) and Gujarat (48.9%).

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The percentage of women, who ever used the Internet, significantly dropped in rural India. Only three states and one union territory reported more than 50 per cent women, who had used the Internet – Goa (68.3%), Kerala (57.5%), Sikkim (68.1%), and Ladakh (54%).

The five states reporting the lowest percentage of women, who ever used the Internet in rural India, were: West Bengal (14%), Andhra Pradesh (15.4%), Telangana (15.8%), Tripura (17.7%) and Bihar (17%).

In urban India, Tripura (47%) is the only state that reported less than 50 per cent of men who had ever used the internet. The worst-performing states in urban India for men were Bihar (58.4%), Meghalaya (59.2%), West Bengal (64.6%), Andhra Pradesh (65.1%) and Assam (67.4%).

In rural India, only eight states reported more than 50 per cent men, who had ever used the Internet: Goa (76.6%), Himachal Pradesh (65.1%), Karnataka (55.6%), Kerala (74.2%), Manipur (68.2%), Mizoram (63.9%), Nagaland (55.2%) and Sikkim (69.5%). The five worst-performing states in urban India for men were Assam (37.8%), West Bengal (38.3%), Meghalaya (38.5%), Bihar (39.4%) and Andhra Pradesh (41.5%).

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The NFHS-5, provides an indicator, for tracking 30 Sustainable Development Goals that the country aims to achieve by 2030. In the phase 1, the survey provided data on 131 key indicators from 22 states and union territories, with special emphasis on maternal and child health.

Kaunain Sheriff M

Kaunain Sheriff M is an award-winning investigative journalist and the National Health Editor at The Indian Express. He is the author of Johnson & Johnson Files: The Indian Secrets of a Global Giant, an investigation into one of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies. With over a decade of experience, Kaunain brings deep expertise in three areas of investigative journalism: law, health, and data. He currently leads The Indian Express newsroom’s in-depth coverage of health. His work has earned some of the most prestigious honours in journalism, including the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Award, and the Mumbai Press Club’s Red Ink Award. Kaunain has also collaborated on major global investigations. He was part of the Implant Files project with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), which exposed malpractices in the medical device industry across the world. He also contributed to an international investigation that uncovered how a Chinese big-data firm was monitoring thousands of prominent Indian individuals and institutions in real time. Over the years, he has reported on several high-profile criminal trials, including the Hashimpura massacre, the 2G spectrum scam, and the coal block allocation case. Within The Indian Express, he has been honoured three times with the Indian Express Excellence Award for his investigations—on the anti-Sikh riots, the Vyapam exam scam, and the abuse of the National Security Act in Uttar Pradesh. ... Read More

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National Family Health Survey