Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — G20

Number of mobile subscriptions in the G20 in 2024 — 5,153,756,988 subs.

2024 5.15B subs −4.15% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 5.38B subs2023
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — G20, 1960–202402B4B6B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 0 subs1965: 0 subs1970: 0 subs1975: 0 subs1976: 0 subs1977: 0 subs1978: 0 subs1979: 0 subs1980: 0 subs1981: 13,275 subs1982: 19,804 subs1983: 27,198 subs1984: 133,742 subs1985: 473,537 subs1986: 1,020,841 subs1987: 1,901,307 subs1988: 3,381,222 subs1989: 5,914,135 subs1990: 9,101,004 subs1991: 13,239,134 subs1992: 18,938,885 subs1993: 27,978,814 subs1994: 45,654,256 subs1995: 74,029,580 subs1996: 117,366,961 subs1997: 171,483,835 subs1998: 249,020,008 subs1999: 371,453,116 subs2000: 548,692,072 subs2001: 700,563,256 subs2002: 838,666,926 subs2003: 1,020,622,323 subs2004: 1,256,076,627 subs2005: 1,535,978,175 subs2006: 1,836,376,328 subs2007: 2,163,903,824 subs2008: 2,537,804,821 subs2009: 2,939,139,247 subs2010: 3,393,352,919 subs2011: 3,763,878,107 subs2012: 3,951,185,456 subs2013: 4,197,245,122 subs2014: 4,352,453,587 subs2015: 4,438,169,860 subs2016: 4,691,985,028 subs2017: 4,881,885,958 subs2018: 4,971,696,192 subs2019: 5,091,177,525 subs2020: 5,085,477,253 subs2021: 5,172,254,665 subs2022: 5,213,002,969 subs2023: 5,376,645,804 subs2024: 5,153,756,988 subs
Change over the period: +5.15B

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: G20

G20 5.15B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — G20, by year G20 All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 5.15B −223M −4.15%
2023 5.38B +164M +3.14%
2022 5.21B +40.75M +0.79%
2021 5.17B +86.78M +1.71%
2020 5.09B −5.7M −0.11%
2019 5.09B +119M +2.4%
2018 4.97B +89.81M +1.84%
2017 4.88B +190M +4.05%
2016 4.69B +254M +5.72%
2015 4.44B +85.72M +1.97%
2014 4.35B +155M +3.7%
2013 4.2B +246M +6.23%
2012 3.95B +187M +4.98%
2011 3.76B +371M +10.92%
2010 3.39B +454M +15.45%
2009 2.94B +401M +15.81%
2008 2.54B +374M +17.28%
2007 2.16B +328M +17.84%
2006 1.84B +300M +19.56%
2005 1.54B +280M +22.28%
2004 1.26B +235M +23.07%
2003 1.02B +182M +21.7%
2002 839M +138M +19.71%
2001 701M +152M +27.68%
2000 549M +177M +47.72%
1999 371M +122M +49.17%
1998 249M +77.54M +45.21%
1997 171M +54.12M +46.11%
1996 117M +43.34M +58.54%
1995 74.03M +28.38M +62.15%
1994 45.65M +17.68M +63.17%
1993 27.98M +9.04M +47.73%
1992 18.94M +5.7M +43.05%
1991 13.24M +4.14M +45.47%
1990 9.1M +3.19M +53.89%
1989 5.91M +2.53M +74.91%
1988 3.38M +1.48M +77.84%
1987 1.9M +880,466 +86.25%
1986 1.02M +547,304 +115.58%
1985 473,537 +339,795 +254.07%
1984 133,742 +106,544 +391.73%
1983 27,198 +7,394 +37.34%
1982 19,804 +6,529 +49.18%
1981 13,275 +13,275
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.