Women are starting businesses at historic rates. In the United States, 49% of all new business applications in 2024 were filed by women, the highest proportion in five years, representing a 69% increase in female entrepreneurship since 2019. Globally, nearly one in three business owners is now a woman.
| $5T
Economic opportunity from closing the digital gender gap for women entrepreneurs | World Economic Forum, 2025 |
49%
Of all new businesses launched in 2024 were started by women, a 69% increase since 2019 | Gusto / Inc., 2025 |
63%
Of women entrepreneurs in 96 LMICs say digital tools improved their business functions in 2024 | Cherie Blair Foundation, 2025 |
80%
Of Etsy’s 8.1 million active sellers in 2024 identify as women | Etsy / Capital One Shopping, 2024 |
Digital platforms did not cause this shift alone, but they have removed or lowered some of the most persistent barriers to entry: geographic limits, high startup costs, distribution access, and the need for physical retail presence.
The data is consistent across markets and income levels: women who adopt digital tools grow faster, reach more customers, and generate more revenue than those who do not. The World Economic Forum estimates that closing the digital gender gap for women entrepreneurs in low- and middle-income countries represents a $5 trillion economic opportunity. Understanding exactly where that opportunity lies, and where barriers remain, requires looking at the numbers behind each platform type.
1. E-Commerce Platforms: A Direct Route to Global Markets
| Etsy by the Numbers (2024)
8.1 million active sellers, 80% are women $12.6 billion in gross merchandise sales Sellers in 234 countries and territories 36% of sellers export outside their home country 29% use Etsy as their primary income source 97% of sellers run their businesses from home |
| The platform generated $12.6 billion in gross merchandise sales in 2024. 36% of Etsy sellers export goods outside their home country, and 29% use their Etsy income as their primary source of income. Nearly 1 in 4 sellers report their Etsy business has helped them offset the rising cost of living.
The GEM 2024/25 U.S. Report found that women entrepreneurs showed a nearly 25% increase in international market scope in 2024, reaching parity with men at 27% of women-owned businesses targeting international markets. Digital marketplaces are the primary mechanism enabling that shift. E-commerce marketplaces have been the most structurally significant digital development for women-owned businesses. They eliminate the need for physical retail space, reduce startup capital requirements, and provide instant access to national and international buyer bases.
Etsy is the most documented example. Of its 8.1 million active sellers in 2024, 80% identify as women, representing approximately 6.5 million women-owned micro-businesses selling across 234 countries and territories. |
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2. Social Media: Marketing Access Without Marketing Budgets
Social media has democratised business marketing in a way no prior technology did. A woman running a tailoring business in Lagos or a handmade ceramics shop in rural Portugal can now reach the same potential customer base as a brand spending millions on advertising, if she understands the platforms.
| Platform | Monthly Active Users | Women’s Usage | Business Relevance for Women Entrepreneurs |
| 2 billion+ globally | Women make up 55–56% of US users | 200 million users visit a business profile daily; 70% of people who love shopping turn to Instagram | |
| 3.07 billion globally | Slightly more female than male users globally | 90 million small businesses have a Facebook presence; 41% of small businesses use it to drive revenue | |
| TikTok | 1.5 billion+ globally | Women more likely than men to choose TikTok as favourite platform (17.6% vs 10.3%) | TikTok converts 43.8% of users into buyers; generated over $26B in sales in 2025 |
| 570 million+ globally | Over 70% of Pinterest users are female | 46% of weekly users discover new brands and products on the platform | |
| 2 billion+ globally | Heavy adoption among women in LMICs for informal commerce | Primary commerce platform for women sellers in parts of Africa, South Asia, and Latin America |
The Cherie Blair Foundation’s 2025 report on women entrepreneurs across 96 low- and middle-income countries found that social media marketing was the single most-cited digital tool linked to business improvement, with 63% of women connecting digital tool adoption to improved business functions and 59% reporting increased sales and profitability in 2024. Among all users of social media globally, 48% have made a purchase after seeing an ad; the rate is higher for women, at 56%.
| 56%
Of women globally have made a purchase after seeing a social media ad, higher than the overall average of 48% | Cropink / Social Media Statistics, 2024 |
59%
Of women entrepreneurs across 96 LMICs reported increased sales and profitability in 2024 after adopting digital tools | Cherie Blair Foundation, 2025 |
3. Digital Payment Platforms: Enabling Transactions at Scale
The ability to accept digital payments is the threshold between an informal cash business and one that can participate in the formal digital economy, recording revenue, building financial history, and accessing supply chains. For women entrepreneurs specifically, digital payment access is closely linked to credit access and business formalization.
| Mobile Money & Women (Sub-Saharan Africa)
$400B+ in annual mobile money transactions Mobile money adoption reduced gender parity gap by up to 5 pts across 98 countries 4.5% improvement in rural household consumption tied to M-Pesa adoption (Kenya research) 33% of sub-Saharan African adults have a mobile money account, highest share of any region Source: World Bank Findex 2021 / African Development Bank |
| Mobile money has been transformative in emerging markets. Sub-Saharan Africa holds 33% of the world’s mobile money accounts and processes over $400 billion in annual transactions, contributing more than 2% of regional GDP. In Kenya, mobile money adoption improved rural household consumption by 4.5% in research tracking M-Pesa’s effects. A cross-country study of 98 developing countries found that mobile money adoption reduced the gender parity gap by 0.7 to 5.0 percentage points, with the largest effects in sub-Saharan Africa.
In the US and high-income markets, digital payment tools including Stripe, Square, PayPal, and integrated Shopify payments have allowed women-owned businesses to accept card and digital payments without the minimum revenue thresholds or merchant fees previously required. QuickBooks’ 2024 Women’s History Month Report found women are adopting digital tools at higher rates than men in new business formation, with digital payment adoption being one of the primary drivers.
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4. Business Software and Cloud Tools: Closing the Operational Gap
Beyond marketplaces and social media, cloud-based business tools have lowered the cost and complexity of running a business with professional infrastructure. Accounting software, project management platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) tools, and inventory management systems were previously accessible only to businesses with the revenue to afford enterprise software licences. Cloud-based subscription models changed that.
| Tool Category | What It Enables | Key Stat |
| E-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy) | Direct-to-consumer sales with built-in payment, shipping, and inventory | Etsy alone generated $12.6B in GMV in 2024 with 80% women sellers |
| Cloud accounting (QuickBooks, Wave, Xero) | Financial record-keeping, tax preparation, invoice management | Women-owned businesses adopting digital tools grow faster and build credit history more quickly |
| Social commerce (Instagram Shopping, TikTok Shop, Pinterest) | In-platform purchasing with no external website required | TikTok Shop generated over $26B in sales in 2025; Pinterest drives product discovery for 46% of weekly users |
| Digital marketing tools (Meta Ads, Google Ads, Mailchimp) | Targeted advertising with budgets starting at under $5/day | Social media ad spending grew 140% in the US from 2019 to 2024; 56% of women make purchases after seeing social ads |
| Freelance and service platforms (Upwork, Fiverr, Toptal) | Access to global clients for service-based businesses without geographic limits | Global freelance platforms allow women to offer services across time zones with no physical infrastructure |
| Digital Preparedness Correlates With Business Performance
GEM’s 2024/25 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report found that high-potential women entrepreneurs, those running businesses with innovation focus or international market scope, consistently report strong digital preparedness. Women entrepreneurs showed a nearly 25% increase in international market scope in 2024 (GEM US Report), largely attributed to digital platform adoption. In 18 of 51 countries surveyed by GEM, women matched or exceeded men in bringing innovations to market. |
5. Where Gaps Remain: The Digital Gender Divide
Digital platforms have enabled significant progress, but they have not eliminated the structural barriers facing women entrepreneurs. The data on gaps is as important as the data on gains.
| Barrier | Scale of the Gap | Impact on Women Entrepreneurs |
| Smartphone ownership | Women in sub-Saharan Africa are 30% less likely than men to own a smartphone (GSMA 2023) | Limits access to mobile banking, digital lending, e-commerce apps, and digital marketing tools |
| Internet connectivity | ITU tracked the gender internet gap in sub-Saharan Africa rising from 21% to 33% between 2013 and 2019 | Limits ability to use cloud tools, social commerce, and digital payment platforms |
| Venture capital access | Women-founded startups receive less than 2% of VC funding; less than one-third of deals (Synovus 2025) | Digital businesses still require capital for inventory, ads, and scaling, gaps persist even with platform access |
| AI and ICT sectors | Women are less than half as likely as men to start businesses in ICT (2.3% vs 6.1%) | GEM 2024/25 | Women are 11% less likely to prioritise AI in their business activities, a growing disadvantage as AI reshapes operations |
| Legal barriers | In 96 of 190 economies, gender discrimination in credit access is not legally prohibited | World Bank 2024 | Limits ability to fund digital business expansion even when platforms are accessible |
| Credit history | Women’s digital financial activity builds credit history less efficiently due to smaller transaction sizes and informal business structures | Blocks access to working capital loans needed to scale e-commerce and digital service businesses |
| The $1.7 Trillion Global Financing Gap
Even with digital platform access, women entrepreneurs globally face a $1.7 trillion financing gap, the capital needed to grow from small to mid-scale businesses. Only 4.2% of women-owned businesses in the US qualify as middle-market firms (Wells Fargo / Synovus 2025). Women-founded startups receive less than 2% of venture capital funding. In 96 of 190 economies, discrimination in credit access based on gender is not legally prohibited (World Bank 2024). Digital platforms lower the cost of starting; they do not solve the cost of scaling. |
6. What the Evidence Shows: Key Takeaways
| Finding | Data | Source |
| Women entrepreneurs are adopting digital tools at high rates | 63% of women in 96 LMICs linked digital tool adoption to improved business functions | Cherie Blair Foundation, 2025 |
| E-commerce is the primary vehicle for women reaching global markets | 80% of Etsy’s 8.1M sellers are women; 36% export internationally | Etsy / Capital One Shopping, 2024 |
| Digital platforms are enabling parity on international market scope | Women entrepreneurs in the US reached 27% international scope in 2024, equal to men | GEM US Report, 2024/25 |
| Women’s startup rate has risen sharply in digital era | 49% of new US businesses in 2024 were started by women, up from 28% in 2019 | Gusto / Inc., 2025 |
| Digital tool adoption is directly linked to profitability | 59% of women entrepreneurs in LMICs reported increased sales after adopting digital tools | Cherie Blair Foundation, 2025 |
| Social media purchasing skews female | 56% of women have made a purchase after seeing a social media ad, vs 48% overall | Cropink 2024 |
| The digital divide is not closed | Women in sub-Saharan Africa are 30% less likely to own a smartphone | GSMA 2023 |
| Financing remains the top obstacle despite platform access | 78% of women entrepreneurs in LMICs cite lack of finance as their greatest challenge | Cherie Blair Foundation, 2025 |
The Bottom Line
Digital platforms have genuinely changed the economics of women’s entrepreneurship. A woman who would previously have needed a physical shop, a local customer base, and substantial startup capital can now launch a global-facing business from her home, build an audience through social media, accept payments through mobile money or digital wallets, and manage her finances through cloud tools, often with minimal upfront cost.
The evidence supports this at scale. Women made up 49% of all new business founders in the United States in 2024. They represent 80% of sellers on Etsy. They report higher rates of social media purchasing. And 63% of women entrepreneurs across 96 countries directly attribute improved business performance to digital tool adoption.
What digital platforms have not done is eliminate the structural gaps. The $1.7 trillion global financing gap for women entrepreneurs persists. Women are 30% less likely to own a smartphone in the Global South. In 96 economies, gender discrimination in credit access is not legally prohibited. And women remain less than half as likely as men to start businesses in ICT, the sector that produces the platforms others use to scale.
The $5 trillion opportunity identified by the World Economic Forum is real. So is the gap between accessing a platform and scaling a business. Digital tools have opened the door. What determines whether women walk through it at the same rate as men depends on capital access, legal frameworks, connectivity infrastructure, and institutional decisions that no app can replace.
