Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — Southern Africa

Number of mobile subscriptions in Southern Africa in 2024 — 124,885,159 subs.

2024 125M subs +5.27% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 125M subs2024
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — Southern Africa, 1960–2024050M100M150M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 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: 3,980 subs1990: 5,680 subs1991: 7,100 subs1992: 12,510 subs1993: 40,000 subs1994: 340,000 subs1995: 538,500 subs1996: 960,906 subs1997: 1,852,000 subs1998: 3,386,221 subs1999: 5,336,000 subs2000: 8,697,790 subs2001: 11,337,864 subs2002: 14,390,217 subs2003: 17,739,599 subs2004: 21,989,148 subs2005: 35,422,383 subs2006: 41,701,829 subs2007: 45,114,486 subs2008: 48,662,650 subs2009: 51,267,109 subs2010: 56,398,733 subs2011: 71,093,652 subs2012: 75,972,374 subs2013: 85,523,273 subs2014: 88,417,810 subs2015: 97,105,777 subs2016: 91,639,734 subs2017: 97,826,669 subs2018: 101,193,309 subs2019: 106,298,805 subs2020: 105,498,971 subs2021: 110,656,590 subs2022: 110,551,408 subs2023: 118,635,923 subs2024: 124,885,159 subs
Change over the period: +125M

Comparison, 2024

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

Southern Africa 125M subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — Southern Africa, by year Southern Africa All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 125M +6.25M +5.27%
2023 119M +8.08M +7.31%
2022 111M −105,182 −0.1%
2021 111M +5.16M +4.89%
2020 105M −799,834 −0.75%
2019 106M +5.11M +5.05%
2018 101M +3.37M +3.44%
2017 97.83M +6.19M +6.75%
2016 91.64M −5.47M −5.63%
2015 97.11M +8.69M +9.83%
2014 88.42M +2.89M +3.38%
2013 85.52M +9.55M +12.57%
2012 75.97M +4.88M +6.86%
2011 71.09M +14.69M +26.06%
2010 56.4M +5.13M +10.01%
2009 51.27M +2.6M +5.35%
2008 48.66M +3.55M +7.86%
2007 45.11M +3.41M +8.18%
2006 41.7M +6.28M +17.73%
2005 35.42M +13.43M +61.09%
2004 21.99M +4.25M +23.96%
2003 17.74M +3.35M +23.28%
2002 14.39M +3.05M +26.92%
2001 11.34M +2.64M +30.35%
2000 8.7M +3.36M +63%
1999 5.34M +1.95M +57.58%
1998 3.39M +1.53M +82.84%
1997 1.85M +891,094 +92.73%
1996 960,906 +422,406 +78.44%
1995 538,500 +198,500 +58.38%
1994 340,000 +300,000 +750%
1993 40,000 +27,490 +219.74%
1992 12,510 +5,410 +76.2%
1991 7,100 +1,420 +25%
1990 5,680 +1,700 +42.71%
1989 3,980 +3,980
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.