Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — Lower-middle-income countries

Number of mobile subscriptions in lower-middle-income countries in 2024 — 2,962,069,613 subs.

2024 2.96B subs −2.98% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 3.05B subs2023
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — Lower-middle-income countries, 1960–202401B2B3B4B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 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: 2,911 subs1988: 3,527 subs1989: 4,955 subs1990: 10,306 subs1991: 53,896 subs1992: 88,145 subs1993: 179,042 subs1994: 326,703 subs1995: 971,661 subs1996: 2,048,515 subs1997: 3,916,199 subs1998: 5,806,440 subs1999: 10,172,678 subs2000: 22,419,341 subs2001: 42,586,310 subs2002: 64,644,639 subs2003: 108,688,781 subs2004: 173,729,203 subs2005: 287,435,547 subs2006: 490,955,529 subs2007: 726,742,814 subs2008: 1,017,517,552 subs2009: 1,327,478,314 subs2010: 1,679,269,836 subs2011: 1,952,538,328 subs2012: 2,034,286,186 subs2013: 2,137,578,189 subs2014: 2,291,302,802 subs2015: 2,397,729,795 subs2016: 2,572,615,689 subs2017: 2,659,102,974 subs2018: 2,776,122,818 subs2019: 2,894,654,530 subs2020: 2,944,047,627 subs2021: 2,989,600,254 subs2022: 3,049,411,327 subs2023: 3,052,971,778 subs2024: 2,962,069,613 subs
Change over the period: +2.96B

Comparison, 2024

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

Lower-middle-income countries 2.96B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — Lower-middle-income countries, by year Lower-middle-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 2.96B −90.9M −2.98%
2023 3.05B +3.56M +0.12%
2022 3.05B +59.81M +2%
2021 2.99B +45.55M +1.55%
2020 2.94B +49.39M +1.71%
2019 2.89B +119M +4.27%
2018 2.78B +117M +4.4%
2017 2.66B +86.49M +3.36%
2016 2.57B +175M +7.29%
2015 2.4B +106M +4.64%
2014 2.29B +154M +7.19%
2013 2.14B +103M +5.08%
2012 2.03B +81.75M +4.19%
2011 1.95B +273M +16.27%
2010 1.68B +352M +26.5%
2009 1.33B +310M +30.46%
2008 1.02B +291M +40.01%
2007 727M +236M +48.03%
2006 491M +204M +70.81%
2005 287M +114M +65.45%
2004 174M +65.04M +59.84%
2003 109M +44.04M +68.13%
2002 64.64M +22.06M +51.8%
2001 42.59M +20.17M +89.95%
2000 22.42M +12.25M +120.39%
1999 10.17M +4.37M +75.2%
1998 5.81M +1.89M +48.27%
1997 3.92M +1.87M +91.17%
1996 2.05M +1.08M +110.83%
1995 971,661 +644,958 +197.41%
1994 326,703 +147,661 +82.47%
1993 179,042 +90,897 +103.12%
1992 88,145 +34,249 +63.55%
1991 53,896 +43,590 +422.96%
1990 10,306 +5,351 +107.99%
1989 4,955 +1,428 +40.49%
1988 3,527 +616 +21.16%
1987 2,911 +2,911
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.