Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — Southern Asia

Number of mobile subscriptions in Southern Asia in 2024 — 1,778,869,315 subs.

2024 1.78B subs −0.16% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 1.78B subs2023
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — Southern Asia, 1960–20240500M1B1.5B2B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 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: 3,010 subs1991: 10,300 subs1992: 16,394 subs1993: 31,187 subs1994: 64,148 subs1995: 187,362 subs1996: 531,021 subs1997: 1,397,986 subs1998: 2,032,278 subs1999: 3,054,484 subs2000: 5,573,249 subs2001: 10,593,801 subs2002: 19,072,862 subs2003: 42,653,267 subs2004: 68,160,466 subs2005: 125,450,427 subs2006: 244,515,924 subs2007: 377,000,170 subs2008: 546,420,161 subs2009: 756,546,350 subs2010: 1,011,010,876 subs2011: 1,189,655,143 subs2012: 1,192,612,711 subs2013: 1,255,494,919 subs2014: 1,340,369,812 subs2015: 1,405,090,449 subs2016: 1,561,831,096 subs2017: 1,641,275,802 subs2018: 1,673,501,813 subs2019: 1,691,705,566 subs2020: 1,725,322,946 subs2021: 1,756,231,619 subs2022: 1,762,400,823 subs2023: 1,781,643,784 subs2024: 1,778,869,315 subs
Change over the period: +1.78B

Comparison, 2024

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

Southern Asia 1.78B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — Southern Asia, by year Southern Asia All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 1.78B −2.77M −0.16%
2023 1.78B +19.24M +1.09%
2022 1.76B +6.17M +0.35%
2021 1.76B +30.91M +1.79%
2020 1.73B +33.62M +1.99%
2019 1.69B +18.2M +1.09%
2018 1.67B +32.23M +1.96%
2017 1.64B +79.44M +5.09%
2016 1.56B +157M +11.16%
2015 1.41B +64.72M +4.83%
2014 1.34B +84.87M +6.76%
2013 1.26B +62.88M +5.27%
2012 1.19B +2.96M +0.25%
2011 1.19B +179M +17.67%
2010 1.01B +254M +33.64%
2009 757M +210M +38.46%
2008 546M +169M +44.94%
2007 377M +132M +54.18%
2006 245M +119M +94.91%
2005 125M +57.29M +84.05%
2004 68.16M +25.51M +59.8%
2003 42.65M +23.58M +123.63%
2002 19.07M +8.48M +80.04%
2001 10.59M +5.02M +90.08%
2000 5.57M +2.52M +82.46%
1999 3.05M +1.02M +50.3%
1998 2.03M +634,292 +45.37%
1997 1.4M +866,965 +163.26%
1996 531,021 +343,659 +183.42%
1995 187,362 +123,214 +192.08%
1994 64,148 +32,961 +105.69%
1993 31,187 +14,793 +90.23%
1992 16,394 +6,094 +59.17%
1991 10,300 +7,290 +242.19%
1990 3,010 +3,010
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.