Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — South America

Number of mobile subscriptions in South America in 2024 — 497,694,379 subs.

2024 498M subs +2.86% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 525M subs2014
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — South America, 1960–20240200M400M600M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 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: 1,800 subs1989: 10,871 subs1990: 35,660 subs1991: 90,431 subs1992: 248,742 subs1993: 611,211 subs1994: 1,428,962 subs1995: 2,760,425 subs1996: 4,998,433 subs1997: 10,159,361 subs1998: 16,428,362 subs1999: 29,485,424 subs2000: 44,432,784 subs2001: 55,590,852 subs2002: 66,089,948 subs2003: 83,866,807 subs2004: 119,371,138 subs2005: 171,089,214 subs2006: 219,196,039 subs2007: 270,327,419 subs2008: 328,804,263 subs2009: 363,990,923 subs2010: 408,737,054 subs2011: 460,874,064 subs2012: 484,471,057 subs2013: 513,903,925 subs2014: 524,735,221 subs2015: 500,496,571 subs2016: 492,294,988 subs2017: 471,428,381 subs2018: 460,456,790 subs2019: 449,439,796 subs2020: 450,703,062 subs2021: 483,715,827 subs2022: 485,174,755 subs2023: 483,857,781 subs2024: 497,694,379 subs
Change over the period: +498M

Comparison, 2024

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

South America 498M subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — South America, by year South America All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 498M +13.84M +2.86%
2023 484M −1.32M −0.27%
2022 485M +1.46M +0.3%
2021 484M +33.01M +7.32%
2020 451M +1.26M +0.28%
2019 449M −11.02M −2.39%
2018 460M −10.97M −2.33%
2017 471M −20.87M −4.24%
2016 492M −8.2M −1.64%
2015 500M −24.24M −4.62%
2014 525M +10.83M +2.11%
2013 514M +29.43M +6.08%
2012 484M +23.6M +5.12%
2011 461M +52.14M +12.76%
2010 409M +44.75M +12.29%
2009 364M +35.19M +10.7%
2008 329M +58.48M +21.63%
2007 270M +51.13M +23.33%
2006 219M +48.11M +28.12%
2005 171M +51.72M +43.33%
2004 119M +35.5M +42.33%
2003 83.87M +17.78M +26.9%
2002 66.09M +10.5M +18.89%
2001 55.59M +11.16M +25.11%
2000 44.43M +14.95M +50.69%
1999 29.49M +13.06M +79.48%
1998 16.43M +6.27M +61.71%
1997 10.16M +5.16M +103.25%
1996 5M +2.24M +81.07%
1995 2.76M +1.33M +93.18%
1994 1.43M +817,751 +133.79%
1993 611,211 +362,469 +145.72%
1992 248,742 +158,311 +175.06%
1991 90,431 +54,771 +153.59%
1990 35,660 +24,789 +228.03%
1989 10,871 +9,071 +503.94%
1988 1,800 +1,800
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.