Indicator: 5.b.1
0.a. Goal
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
0.b. Target
Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women
0.c. Indicator
Indicator 5.b.1: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
0.d. Series
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%)
0.e. Metadata update
2023-03-310.f. Related indicators
4.4.1, 9.c.1, 17.6.1, 17.8.1
0.g. International organisations(s) responsible for global monitoring
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
1.a. Organisation
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
2.a. Definition and concepts
Definition:
The proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex is defined as the ‘proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex’.
Concepts:
An individual owns a mobile cellular phone if he/she has a mobile cellular phone device with at least one active SIM card for personal use. Mobile cellular phones supplied by employers that can be used for personal reasons (to make personal calls, access the Internet, etc.) are included. Individuals who have only active SIM card(s) and not a mobile phone device are excluded. Individuals who have a mobile phone for personal use that is not registered under his/her name are also included. An active SIM card is a SIM card that has been used in the last three months.
A mobile (cellular) telephone refers to a portable telephone subscribing to a public mobile telephone service using cellular technology, which provides access to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This includes analogue and digital cellular systems and technologies such as IMT-2000 (3G) and IMT-Advanced. Users of both postpaid subscriptions and prepaid accounts are included.
2.b. Unit of measure
Percent (%) (of individuals)
2.c. Classifications
For countries that collect this data through an official survey, and if data allow breakdown and disaggregation, the indicator can be broken down by region (urban/rural), sex, age group, educational level (International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) ), by labour force status (International Labour Organization (ILO)), and by occupation (International Standard Classification of Occupation (ISCO)). The International Telecommunication Union (ITU)) collects data for all these breakdowns from countries.
3.a. Data sources
This indicator is a newly developed International Telecommunication Union (ITU) indicator that was approved by the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS) in 2014. The indicator’s definition and methodology were developed under the coordination of ITU, through its Expert Groups, and following an extensive consultation process with countries. Data for the proportion of individuals owning a mobile phone were first collected in 2015 through an annual questionnaire that ITU sends to National Statistical Offices (NSO). In this questionnaire, through which ITU already collects several ICT indicators, ITU collects absolute values. The percentages are calculated a-posteriori. The survey methodology is verified to ensure that it meets adequate statistical standards. The data are verified to ensure consistency with previous years’ data and other relevant country-level indicators (ICT and economic).
Data are usually not adjusted, but discrepancies in the definition, age scope of individuals, reference period, or the break in comparability between years are noted in a data note. For this reason, data are not always strictly comparable.
3.b. Data collection method
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) collects data on this indicator through an annual questionnaire that it sends to the heads of the National Statistical Offices (NSO). In this questionnaire, through which ITU already collects several ICT indicators, ITU collects absolute values. The percentages are calculated a-posteriori. The survey methodology is verified to ensure that it meets adequate statistical standards. The data are verified to ensure consistency with previous years’ data and other relevant country-level indicators (ICT and economic).
3.c. Data collection calendar
The data are collected using the ITU Short and Long ICT Household questionnaires. . Each survey has its own data collection cycle. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) collects data twice a year from Member States, in Q1 using the short questionnaire and in Q3 using the long questionnaire.
3.d. Data release calendar
Data are released twice a year, In July and December, in the World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database (WTID) and in the ITU DataHub, see https://datahub.itu.int/.
3.e. Data providers
National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
3.f. Data compilers
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
3.g. Institutional mandate
As the UN specialized agency for information and communication technologies (ICTs), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the official source for global ICT statistics, collecting ICT data from its Member States.
4.a. Rationale
Mobile phone networks have spread rapidly over the last decade and the number of mobile-cellular subscriptions is quasi equal to the number of people living on earth. However, not every person uses or owns a mobile-cellular telephone. Mobile phone ownership, in particular, is important to track gender equality since the mobile phone is a personal device that, if owned and not just shared, provides women with a degree of independence and autonomy, including for professional purposes. Several studies have highlighted the link between mobile phone ownership and empowerment, and productivity growth.
Existing data on the proportion of women owning a mobile phone suggest that fewer women than men own a mobile phone. This indicator highlights the importance of mobile phone ownership to track and improve gender equality, and monitoring will help design targeted policies to overcome the gender divide. The collection of this indicator was proposed by the Task Group on Gender of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development.
4.b. Comment and limitations
While the data on the ‘proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone’ currently only exist for very few countries, ITU is encouraging all countries to collect data on this indicator through national household surveys and the indicator is expected to be added to the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development’s Core List of Indicators. The number of countries with official data for this indicator is expected to increase in the near future.
4.c. Method of computation
Countries can collect data on this indicator through national household surveys. This indicator is calculated by dividing the total number of in-scope individuals who own a mobile phone by the total number of in-scope individuals.
4.d. Validation
Data are submitted by Member States to The International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ITU checks and validates the data, in consultation with the Member States.
4.e. Adjustments
No adjustments are made to the data submitted by countries.
4.f. Treatment of missing values (i) at country level and (ii) at regional level
• At country level
Missing values are not estimated.
• At regional and global levels
In the absence of official household surveys, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) estimates the percentage of individuals owning mobile phones (owners of mobile phones as a percentage of total population) using various techniques, such as hot-deck imputation, regression models and time series forecast, using data such as Internet use, income, education and other ICT indicators.
4.g. Regional aggregations
Country-level data on the percentage of individuals owning mobile phones (owners of mobile phones as a percentage of total population) are first estimated using various techniques, such as hot-deck imputation, regression models and time series forecast. Hot-deck imputation uses data from countries with “similar” characteristics, such as GNI per capita and geographic location. In cases when it is not possible to find an adequate imputation based on similar cases, regression models are applied.
Once the country-level percentages are available for all countries, the number of mobile phone owners are calculated by multiplying the percentages to the population of the country. The regional and world total mobile phone owners were calculated by summing the country-level data. The aggregate percentages were calculated by dividing the regional totals by the population of respective groups.
4.h. Methods and guidance available to countries for the compilation of the data at the national level
ITU Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals 2020:
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/manual.aspx
4.i. Quality management
Data are checked and validated by the ICT Data and Analytics (IDA) Division of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Countries are contacted to clarify and correct their submissions.
4.j. Quality assurance
The guidelines of the Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals 2020 are followed.
4.k. Quality assessment
The guidelines of the Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals 2020 are followed.
5. Data availability and disaggregation
Data availability:
Overall, the indicator is available for more than 80 countries at least from one survey.
Time series:
2015 onwards
Disaggregation:
For countries that collect this indicator through a national household survey, and if data allow breakdown and disaggregation, the indicator can be broken down not only by sex but also by region (urban/rural), age group, educational level, labour force status, and occupation. Estimates of regional aggregates by sex are also calculated.
6. Comparability/deviation from international standards
Sources of discrepancies:
None. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) uses the data provided by countries, including the in-scope population that is used to calculate the percentages.
7. References and Documentation
URL:
http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/default.aspx
References:
ITU Manual for Measuring ICT Access and Use by Households and Individuals 2020:
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/manual.aspx