FEATURE : MOBILE TECHNOLOGY
IN EUROPE , OVER 70 % OF MOBILE USERS USE THEIR DEVICES FOR VIDEO CALLS , MOBILE FINANCIAL SERVICES OR FOR OBTAINING INFORMATION ON PRODUCTS AND SERVICES , CONTRIBUTING TO A RANGE OF SDGS .
accelerate actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda . Now at the halfway point , the UN SDGs were adopted in 2015 as a universal call-to-action to end poverty , protect the planet and ensure people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030 .
Tracking SDG impact at the halfway point
The report found that since 2015 , the mobile industry has increased its impact on each of the 17 SDGs . Mobile technology provides billions of people with their primary means of access to the Internet and a multitude of life-enhancing services across education , healthcare and finance . The industry also serves as the linchpin of the digital economy and a catalyst for transformation across different sectors .
Key findings on the mobile industry ’ s SDG impact include :
• In 2022 , the average SDG impact score across the 17 goals was 53 , meaning the industry has achieved 53 % of its potential contribution to the SDGs – up from 33 % in 2015 .
• The mobile industry achieved its highest impact on SDG 9 : Industry , Innovation and Infrastructure , driven by the unique reach of mobile coverage worldwide . Since 2015 , the population living in areas without mobile coverage dropped from 1.8 billion to 400 million at the end of 2022 .
• Since 2015 , almost 2 billion people have gained access to the Internet through a mobile device , with some 4.5 billion people – or 57 % of the world ’ s population – connected by the end of 2022 .
• Progress has been made to reduce disparities in mobile Internet adoption between different user segments , supporting the industry ’ s contribution to SDG 5 : Gender Equality and SDG 10 : Reducing Inequalities . In particular , mobile Internet usage has risen by 47 % among the world ’ s poorest 40 %, representing an increase of 710 million since 2015 to 1.5 billion people in 2022 ; what ’ s more , 61 % of women in low- and middle-income countries are now using mobile Internet , representing an
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