Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — High-income countries

Number of mobile subscriptions in high-income countries in 2024 — 1,592,527,665 subs.

2024 1.59B subs −15.1% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 1.88B subs2023
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — High-income countries, 1960–20240500M1B1.5B2B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 0 subs1965: 0 subs1970: 0 subs1975: 0 subs1976: 0 subs1977: 0 subs1978: 0 subs1979: 0 subs1980: 23,482 subs1981: 63,585 subs1982: 101,509 subs1983: 148,855 subs1984: 317,502 subs1985: 748,600 subs1986: 1,433,602 subs1987: 2,506,944 subs1988: 4,254,183 subs1989: 7,174,557 subs1990: 10,800,636 subs1991: 15,413,664 subs1992: 21,511,653 subs1993: 30,921,497 subs1994: 49,163,044 subs1995: 78,440,401 subs1996: 123,507,988 subs1997: 175,779,375 subs1998: 252,014,162 subs1999: 368,139,041 subs2000: 516,518,194 subs2001: 618,083,125 subs2002: 691,542,795 subs2003: 780,971,011 subs2004: 904,597,612 subs2005: 1,041,604,165 subs2006: 1,167,091,852 subs2007: 1,293,778,031 subs2008: 1,385,379,938 subs2009: 1,460,304,668 subs2010: 1,497,794,522 subs2011: 1,514,927,480 subs2012: 1,554,623,932 subs2013: 1,593,409,703 subs2014: 1,620,057,395 subs2015: 1,637,961,358 subs2016: 1,657,104,449 subs2017: 1,661,805,239 subs2018: 1,685,384,723 subs2019: 1,721,064,851 subs2020: 1,721,010,605 subs2021: 1,761,742,966 subs2022: 1,804,836,181 subs2023: 1,875,668,157 subs2024: 1,592,527,665 subs
Change over the period: +1.59B

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: High-income countries

High-income countries 1.59B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — High-income countries, by year High-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 1.59B −283M −15.1%
2023 1.88B +70.83M +3.92%
2022 1.8B +43.09M +2.45%
2021 1.76B +40.73M +2.37%
2020 1.72B −54,246 −0%
2019 1.72B +35.68M +2.12%
2018 1.69B +23.58M +1.42%
2017 1.66B +4.7M +0.28%
2016 1.66B +19.14M +1.17%
2015 1.64B +17.9M +1.11%
2014 1.62B +26.65M +1.67%
2013 1.59B +38.79M +2.49%
2012 1.55B +39.7M +2.62%
2011 1.51B +17.13M +1.14%
2010 1.5B +37.49M +2.57%
2009 1.46B +74.92M +5.41%
2008 1.39B +91.6M +7.08%
2007 1.29B +127M +10.85%
2006 1.17B +125M +12.05%
2005 1.04B +137M +15.15%
2004 905M +124M +15.83%
2003 781M +89.43M +12.93%
2002 692M +73.46M +11.89%
2001 618M +102M +19.66%
2000 517M +148M +40.31%
1999 368M +116M +46.08%
1998 252M +76.23M +43.37%
1997 176M +52.27M +42.32%
1996 124M +45.07M +57.45%
1995 78.44M +29.28M +59.55%
1994 49.16M +18.24M +58.99%
1993 30.92M +9.41M +43.74%
1992 21.51M +6.1M +39.56%
1991 15.41M +4.61M +42.71%
1990 10.8M +3.63M +50.54%
1989 7.17M +2.92M +68.65%
1988 4.25M +1.75M +69.7%
1987 2.51M +1.07M +74.87%
1986 1.43M +685,002 +91.5%
1985 748,600 +431,098 +135.78%
1984 317,502 +168,647 +113.3%
1983 148,855 +47,346 +46.64%
1982 101,509 +37,924 +59.64%
1981 63,585 +40,103 +170.78%
1980 23,482 +23,482
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.