About the data
The WBA Digital Inclusion Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to advance digital inclusion, tracking how companies are expanding access to digital technologies, improving digital skills and literacy, and ensuring safe and inclusive digital environments for all. The 2026 edition assessed 200 companies across key sectors of the digital economy including telecommunications, software, hardware, and digital platforms. The benchmark is developed in close collaboration with an Expert Review Committee and partners including GRI, ITU, and the Alliance for Affordable Internet, with a methodology designed to incentivise companies to understand where digital exclusion risks are highest and act to bridge the digital divide, while keeping human rights and social impacts at its core.
More information can be found here.
More information can be found here.
Methodology
SDG target 4.4 aims to ‘substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.’ As digital technology permeates all sectors, digital skills have become essential for general employability and entrepreneurship.
Additional digital skills beyond digital literacy are important for people's livelihoods. Such digital skills include web design, desktop publishing and digital marketing, which prepare students for jobs in these areas or help entrepreneurs use these tools to publicise and grow their business. They also include technical digital skills that are needed to become a specialist in digital professions, such as data analysis, hardware design, network management and software programming. There is a large technological skills gap across gender and income and between high-income and low- and middle- income countries.
Research Guidance:
The company provides evidenceof the changes that happen tovulnerable groups, organisationssupported,the company employees,or company businessas a result ofthe digital skillsprogramme..The company maydiscloseone or more of the following:
- Evidence oftheprogressmade toward the programme‚sstatedgoals or targets. This may include interim updates showing how the programme is tracking against milestones across time, coverage goals, or other indicators of planned progress.
- Evidence of outcome or impact data, comparing results to a baseline measurement taken before the programme began.
- Findings of internal or external monitoring efforts, including: the methods used (e.g. surveys, interviews, usage data, case studies), sources of data,limitationsor context for interpreting the results.
In best-case disclosures, the company may provide results from a third-party evaluation, such as an impact assessment comparing with a control group or other inferential methods, which enhances the credibility and robustness of the data.
Additional digital skills beyond digital literacy are important for people's livelihoods. Such digital skills include web design, desktop publishing and digital marketing, which prepare students for jobs in these areas or help entrepreneurs use these tools to publicise and grow their business. They also include technical digital skills that are needed to become a specialist in digital professions, such as data analysis, hardware design, network management and software programming. There is a large technological skills gap across gender and income and between high-income and low- and middle- income countries.
Research Guidance:
The company provides evidenceof the changes that happen tovulnerable groups, organisationssupported,the company employees,or company businessas a result ofthe digital skillsprogramme..The company maydiscloseone or more of the following:
- Evidence oftheprogressmade toward the programme‚sstatedgoals or targets. This may include interim updates showing how the programme is tracking against milestones across time, coverage goals, or other indicators of planned progress.
- Evidence of outcome or impact data, comparing results to a baseline measurement taken before the programme began.
- Findings of internal or external monitoring efforts, including: the methods used (e.g. surveys, interviews, usage data, case studies), sources of data,limitationsor context for interpreting the results.
In best-case disclosures, the company may provide results from a third-party evaluation, such as an impact assessment comparing with a control group or other inferential methods, which enhances the credibility and robustness of the data.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report