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
Digital technology companies can play a critical role in reducing digital inequality and educational disparity, and promote inclusive access to learning. They can make an important contribution to improving school digitalisation as part of a broader commitment to digital skills development and connectivity. This can be done, for example, by promoting access to devices, labs, Internet connection or other connected devices; digital educational technologies; teacher training to integrate digital technologies, etc.
Research Guidance:
The company provides evidence of the changes that happen to vulnerable groups, organisations supported, the company employees, or company business as a result of the school digitisation programme. The company may disclose one or more of the following:
- Evidence of theprogress made toward the programme‚s stated goals 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, limitations or 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.
Research Guidance:
The company provides evidence of the changes that happen to vulnerable groups, organisations supported, the company employees, or company business as a result of the school digitisation programme. The company may disclose one or more of the following:
- Evidence of theprogress made toward the programme‚s stated goals 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, limitations or 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