Technology
Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)
Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.
World Bank code: IT.CEL.SETS.P2 • Data available for 210 countries • Latest year: 2024
In , Fiji led Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) at 574.15.
The world median across 151 reporting countries was 120.61.
How "Technology" indicators are measured
Technology indicators (internet users, mobile subscriptions, broadband, ICT services) are reported by the ITU based on operator returns. Mobile subscription counts often exceed 100% because of multi-SIM behavior, particularly in markets where users have separate SIMs for work, personal, and data. Internet user figures rely on surveys and can lag actual adoption.
Distribution — 2024
- Reporting
- 151 countries
- Median
- 120.61
- Mean
- 123.94
- 25th percentile
- 100.08
- 75th percentile
- 136.02
- Range
- 38.77 – 574.15
World at a Glance — 2024
Every reporting country, grouped by region, shaded by value (quintile).
Lighter = lower value · Darker = higher value. Hover a cell to see the country and value.
Highest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiji East Asia & Pacific | 574.15 |
| 2 | Hong Kong SAR, China East Asia & Pacific | 364.85 |
| 3 | Montenegro Europe & Central Asia | 221.69 |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 203.21 |
| 5 | Macao SAR, China East Asia & Pacific | 201.14 |
| 6 | Russian Federation Europe & Central Asia | 186.10 |
| 7 | Cote d'Ivoire Sub-Saharan Africa | 183.88 |
| 8 | South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa | 179.34 |
| 9 | Israel Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 177.39 |
| 10 | El Salvador Latin America & Caribbean | 176.52 |
Looking for a specific country? Only the top and bottom 10 appear here. See where every country ranks for Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people).
View complete rankings →Biggest Movers — Year over Year
Largest increases
- Fiji +59.0%
- Tanzania +20.1%
- Israel +15.7%
- Ghana +15.0%
- Guinea-Bissau +14.9%
Largest decreases
- Nigeria -28.1%
- Nepal -15.2%
- Trinidad and Tobago -11.5%
- Tunisia -11.3%
- Suriname -9.6%
By Income Group — Average
| Income group | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| High income | 57 | 136.56 |
| Upper middle income | 40 | 142.48 |
| Lower middle income | 39 | 102.72 |
| Low income | 13 | 83.80 |
| Not classified | 2 | 68.05 |
By Region — Average
| Region | Countries | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| East Asia & Pacific | 20 | 161.07 |
| Europe & Central Asia | 46 | 128.11 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 24 | 115.75 |
| Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan | 17 | 126.54 |
| North America | 3 | 101.32 |
| South Asia | 6 | 111.29 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 35 | 105.69 |
Lowest Values — 2024
| # | Country | Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Papua New Guinea | 38.77 |
| 2 | Mozambique | 49.50 |
| 3 | Kiribati | 53.52 |
| 4 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 58.53 |
| 5 | Afghanistan | 60.10 |
| 6 | Niger | 60.59 |
| 7 | Sao Tome and Principe | 62.44 |
| 8 | Ethiopia | 65.08 |
| 9 | Malawi | 69.26 |
| 10 | Jordan | 69.64 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (IT.CEL.SETS.P2), CC BY 4.0. Rankings show countries with available data for 2024.