Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — OECD

Number of mobile subscriptions in the OECD in 2024 — 1,498,151,294 subs.

2024 1.5B subs −15.05% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 1.76B subs2023
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — OECD, 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: 99,179 subs1983: 145,291 subs1984: 311,566 subs1985: 736,224 subs1986: 1,403,211 subs1987: 2,449,186 subs1988: 4,158,634 subs1989: 7,014,331 subs1990: 10,599,076 subs1991: 15,176,159 subs1992: 21,285,090 subs1993: 30,567,965 subs1994: 48,721,918 subs1995: 77,802,847 subs1996: 122,531,294 subs1997: 174,750,900 subs1998: 252,024,886 subs1999: 372,803,396 subs2000: 527,123,864 subs2001: 630,317,657 subs2002: 696,373,330 subs2003: 770,452,081 subs2004: 866,050,092 subs2005: 973,051,912 subs2006: 1,078,695,366 subs2007: 1,187,184,179 subs2008: 1,253,377,845 subs2009: 1,285,233,371 subs2010: 1,313,588,702 subs2011: 1,367,828,242 subs2012: 1,412,427,128 subs2013: 1,445,975,626 subs2014: 1,472,334,117 subs2015: 1,489,848,258 subs2016: 1,516,879,000 subs2017: 1,540,756,262 subs2018: 1,570,880,225 subs2019: 1,595,001,421 subs2020: 1,601,224,986 subs2021: 1,644,082,657 subs2022: 1,686,442,871 subs2023: 1,763,523,904 subs2024: 1,498,151,294 subs
Change over the period: +1.5B

Comparison, 2024

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

OECD 1.5B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — OECD, by year OECD All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 1.5B −265M −15.05%
2023 1.76B +77.08M +4.57%
2022 1.69B +42.36M +2.58%
2021 1.64B +42.86M +2.68%
2020 1.6B +6.22M +0.39%
2019 1.6B +24.12M +1.54%
2018 1.57B +30.12M +1.96%
2017 1.54B +23.88M +1.57%
2016 1.52B +27.03M +1.81%
2015 1.49B +17.51M +1.19%
2014 1.47B +26.36M +1.82%
2013 1.45B +33.55M +2.38%
2012 1.41B +44.6M +3.26%
2011 1.37B +54.24M +4.13%
2010 1.31B +28.36M +2.21%
2009 1.29B +31.86M +2.54%
2008 1.25B +66.19M +5.58%
2007 1.19B +108M +10.06%
2006 1.08B +106M +10.86%
2005 973M +107M +12.36%
2004 866M +95.6M +12.41%
2003 770M +74.08M +10.64%
2002 696M +66.06M +10.48%
2001 630M +103M +19.58%
2000 527M +154M +41.39%
1999 373M +121M +47.92%
1998 252M +77.27M +44.22%
1997 175M +52.22M +42.62%
1996 123M +44.73M +57.49%
1995 77.8M +29.08M +59.69%
1994 48.72M +18.15M +59.39%
1993 30.57M +9.28M +43.61%
1992 21.29M +6.11M +40.25%
1991 15.18M +4.58M +43.18%
1990 10.6M +3.58M +51.11%
1989 7.01M +2.86M +68.67%
1988 4.16M +1.71M +69.8%
1987 2.45M +1.05M +74.54%
1986 1.4M +666,987 +90.6%
1985 736,224 +424,658 +136.3%
1984 311,566 +166,275 +114.44%
1983 145,291 +46,112 +46.49%
1982 99,179 +35,594 +55.98%
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.