Youth Driving India’s Digital Surge: MOSPI’s Telecom Survey 2025
Delhi : As part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations, the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has released the latest findings from the Comprehensive Modular Survey: Telecom (CMS:T), 2025, conducted during January–March 2025. This national-level survey highlights India’s growing digital footprint, especially among the youth.
According to the report, 97.1 percent of individuals aged 15–29 years used a mobile phone in the three months preceding the survey. Usage was slightly higher in urban areas at 97.6 percent, compared to 96.8 percent in rural regions.
The survey also revealed that among mobile phone owners in the 15–29 age group, 95.5 percent in rural areas and 97.6 percent in urban areas owned smartphones. Internet penetration in the same age group stood at 92.7 percent in rural areas and 95.7 percent in urban areas, indicating a broad digital outreach.
Another significant finding is the widespread adoption of digital skills. About 85.1 percent of youth reported the ability to send messages with attachments such as documents, pictures, or videos using mobile or computer devices. This marks a substantial improvement from the 77.7 percent reported in the 2022–23 CAMS survey.
At the household level, 85.5 percent of Indian homes now have at least one smartphone, while 86.3 percent have internet access within the premises, signaling deeper digital integration into everyday life.
Despite these advancements, the report also points to continued gender disparities, particularly in rural areas, where female ownership of mobile phones remains significantly lower than that of males.
Conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI), the survey covered 4,382 sample units, 34,950 households, and over 1.42 lakh individuals. While the data offers nationally representative insights, the ministry cautioned that state-level findings should be interpreted carefully due to sample size limitations.
The full report is available on the Ministry’s official website: www.mospi.gov.in.
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