Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — BRICS

Number of mobile subscriptions in BRICS in 2024 — 4,150,867,671 subs.

2024 4.15B subs +1.44% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 4.15B subs2024
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — BRICS, 1960–202402B4B6B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 0 subs1965: 0 subs1970: 0 subs1975: 0 subs1976: 0 subs1977: 0 subs1978: 0 subs1979: 0 subs1980: 0 subs1981: 0 subs1982: 2,330 subs1983: 3,564 subs1984: 6,686 subs1985: 9,953 subs1986: 15,722 subs1987: 20,732 subs1988: 26,058 subs1989: 51,659 subs1990: 76,340 subs1991: 129,180 subs1992: 311,918 subs1993: 994,024 subs1994: 2,688,465 subs1995: 5,970,252 subs1996: 11,671,441 subs1997: 22,450,210 subs1998: 38,459,850 subs1999: 70,315,353 subs2000: 129,687,503 subs2001: 209,160,871 subs2002: 301,603,934 subs2003: 427,928,859 subs2004: 586,305,624 subs2005: 783,670,922 subs2006: 1,002,070,218 subs2007: 1,246,294,492 subs2008: 1,576,234,721 subs2009: 1,945,079,423 subs2010: 2,372,452,220 subs2011: 2,699,800,658 subs2012: 2,855,555,139 subs2013: 3,076,219,374 subs2014: 3,222,434,551 subs2015: 3,297,251,769 subs2016: 3,534,348,128 subs2017: 3,717,918,047 subs2018: 3,784,830,645 subs2019: 3,915,437,758 subs2020: 3,914,267,940 subs2021: 3,973,609,262 subs2022: 3,979,698,910 subs2023: 4,091,748,566 subs2024: 4,150,867,671 subs
Change over the period: +4.15B

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: BRICS

BRICS 4.15B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — BRICS, by year BRICS All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 4.15B +59.12M +1.44%
2023 4.09B +112M +2.82%
2022 3.98B +6.09M +0.15%
2021 3.97B +59.34M +1.52%
2020 3.91B −1.17M −0.03%
2019 3.92B +131M +3.45%
2018 3.78B +66.91M +1.8%
2017 3.72B +184M +5.19%
2016 3.53B +237M +7.19%
2015 3.3B +74.82M +2.32%
2014 3.22B +146M +4.75%
2013 3.08B +221M +7.73%
2012 2.86B +156M +5.77%
2011 2.7B +327M +13.8%
2010 2.37B +427M +21.97%
2009 1.95B +369M +23.4%
2008 1.58B +330M +26.47%
2007 1.25B +244M +24.37%
2006 1B +218M +27.87%
2005 784M +197M +33.66%
2004 586M +158M +37.01%
2003 428M +126M +41.88%
2002 302M +92.44M +44.2%
2001 209M +79.47M +61.28%
2000 130M +59.37M +84.44%
1999 70.32M +31.86M +82.83%
1998 38.46M +16.01M +71.31%
1997 22.45M +10.78M +92.35%
1996 11.67M +5.7M +95.49%
1995 5.97M +3.28M +122.07%
1994 2.69M +1.69M +170.46%
1993 994,024 +682,106 +218.68%
1992 311,918 +182,738 +141.46%
1991 129,180 +52,840 +69.22%
1990 76,340 +24,681 +47.78%
1989 51,659 +25,601 +98.25%
1988 26,058 +5,326 +25.69%
1987 20,732 +5,010 +31.87%
1986 15,722 +5,769 +57.96%
1985 9,953 +3,267 +48.86%
1984 6,686 +3,122 +87.6%
1983 3,564 +1,234 +52.96%
1982 2,330 +2,330
1981 0 +0
1980 0 +0
1979 0 +0
1978 0 +0
1977 0 +0
1976 0 +0
1975 0
1970 0
1965 0
1960 0

About the indicator

The number of active mobile cellular subscriptions. Subscriptions are counted, not people: one person can hold several SIM cards, and in countries where calls within a network are cheaper than calls between networks this is ordinary practice. That is exactly why the same indicator per hundred people in this catalog often runs above a hundred and fifty, and why the absolute series is easier to read: it speaks of the size of the market, not of the penetration of service.

Important: Subscriptions, not subscribers. Machine-to-machine connections — meters, cars, sensors — are counted differently from country to country.

Source: ICT Indicators (ITU), license ITU terms of use.