Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — Low-income countries

Number of mobile subscriptions in low-income countries in 2023 — 390,162,459 subs.

2023 390M subs −12.75% vs 2022
World rank
Period maximum 447M subs2022
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2023 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — Low-income countries, 1960–20230200M400M600M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 0 subs1965: 0 subs1970: 0 subs1975: 0 subs1976: 0 subs1977: 0 subs1978: 0 subs1979: 0 subs1980: 0 subs1981: 0 subs1982: 0 subs1983: 0 subs1984: 0 subs1985: 0 subs1986: 0 subs1987: 0 subs1988: 0 subs1989: 0 subs1990: 0 subs1991: 0 subs1992: 1,754 subs1993: 5,980 subs1994: 9,681 subs1995: 22,229 subs1996: 34,650 subs1997: 57,706 subs1998: 133,108 subs1999: 267,154 subs2000: 715,397 subs2001: 1,857,790 subs2002: 3,582,797 subs2003: 7,457,704 subs2004: 13,003,310 subs2005: 19,548,845 subs2006: 33,617,143 subs2007: 56,076,576 subs2008: 85,934,937 subs2009: 109,992,112 subs2010: 141,638,825 subs2011: 182,689,783 subs2012: 215,727,650 subs2013: 256,418,640 subs2014: 294,968,237 subs2015: 319,100,646 subs2016: 315,548,879 subs2017: 323,138,061 subs2018: 276,163,083 subs2019: 352,479,451 subs2020: 377,080,822 subs2021: 418,389,726 subs2022: 447,182,454 subs2023: 390,162,459 subs
Change over the period: +390M

Comparison, 2023

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

Low-income countries 390M subs
World 8.88B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — Low-income countries, by year Low-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2023 390M −57.02M −12.75%
2022 447M +28.79M +6.88%
2021 418M +41.31M +10.95%
2020 377M +24.6M +6.98%
2019 352M +76.32M +27.63%
2018 276M −46.97M −14.54%
2017 323M +7.59M +2.41%
2016 316M −3.55M −1.11%
2015 319M +24.13M +8.18%
2014 295M +38.55M +15.03%
2013 256M +40.69M +18.86%
2012 216M +33.04M +18.08%
2011 183M +41.05M +28.98%
2010 142M +31.65M +28.77%
2009 110M +24.06M +27.99%
2008 85.93M +29.86M +53.25%
2007 56.08M +22.46M +66.81%
2006 33.62M +14.07M +71.96%
2005 19.55M +6.55M +50.34%
2004 13M +5.55M +74.36%
2003 7.46M +3.87M +108.15%
2002 3.58M +1.73M +92.85%
2001 1.86M +1.14M +159.69%
2000 715,397 +448,243 +167.78%
1999 267,154 +134,046 +100.7%
1998 133,108 +75,402 +130.67%
1997 57,706 +23,056 +66.54%
1996 34,650 +12,421 +55.88%
1995 22,229 +12,548 +129.61%
1994 9,681 +3,701 +61.89%
1993 5,980 +4,226 +240.94%
1992 1,754 +1,754
1991 0 +0
1990 0 +0
1989 0 +0
1988 0 +0
1987 0 +0
1986 0 +0
1985 0 +0
1984 0 +0
1983 0 +0
1982 0 +0
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.