Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — Western Europe

Number of mobile subscriptions in Western Europe in 2024 — 167,782,625 subs.

2024 168M subs −30.48% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 241M subs2023
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — Western Europe, 1960–20240100M200M300M19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 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: 15,682 subs1986: 71,349 subs1987: 151,477 subs1988: 317,463 subs1989: 552,931 subs1990: 877,258 subs1991: 1,364,769 subs1992: 2,024,684 subs1993: 3,113,793 subs1994: 4,445,830 subs1995: 6,659,294 subs1996: 10,775,293 subs1997: 19,056,081 subs1998: 34,359,852 subs1999: 62,337,654 subs2000: 104,707,153 subs2001: 125,257,255 subs2002: 130,871,782 subs2003: 142,334,834 subs2004: 154,559,968 subs2005: 168,834,431 subs2006: 181,916,287 subs2007: 200,451,543 subs2008: 215,917,475 subs2009: 216,353,820 subs2010: 200,165,698 subs2011: 206,948,400 subs2012: 211,636,844 subs2013: 220,287,652 subs2014: 222,197,381 subs2015: 222,185,727 subs2016: 227,611,684 subs2017: 233,395,286 subs2018: 233,095,825 subs2019: 234,989,779 subs2020: 235,706,240 subs2021: 237,868,037 subs2022: 236,668,588 subs2023: 241,356,862 subs2024: 167,782,625 subs
Change over the period: +168M

Comparison, 2024

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

Western Europe 168M subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — Western Europe, by year Western Europe All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 168M −73.57M −30.48%
2023 241M +4.69M +1.98%
2022 237M −1.2M −0.5%
2021 238M +2.16M +0.92%
2020 236M +716,461 +0.3%
2019 235M +1.89M +0.81%
2018 233M −299,461 −0.13%
2017 233M +5.78M +2.54%
2016 228M +5.43M +2.44%
2015 222M −11,654 −0.01%
2014 222M +1.91M +0.87%
2013 220M +8.65M +4.09%
2012 212M +4.69M +2.27%
2011 207M +6.78M +3.39%
2010 200M −16.19M −7.48%
2009 216M +436,345 +0.2%
2008 216M +15.47M +7.72%
2007 200M +18.54M +10.19%
2006 182M +13.08M +7.75%
2005 169M +14.27M +9.24%
2004 155M +12.23M +8.59%
2003 142M +11.46M +8.76%
2002 131M +5.61M +4.48%
2001 125M +20.55M +19.63%
2000 105M +42.37M +67.97%
1999 62.34M +27.98M +81.43%
1998 34.36M +15.3M +80.31%
1997 19.06M +8.28M +76.85%
1996 10.78M +4.12M +61.81%
1995 6.66M +2.21M +49.79%
1994 4.45M +1.33M +42.78%
1993 3.11M +1.09M +53.79%
1992 2.02M +659,915 +48.35%
1991 1.36M +487,511 +55.57%
1990 877,258 +324,327 +58.66%
1989 552,931 +235,468 +74.17%
1988 317,463 +165,986 +109.58%
1987 151,477 +80,128 +112.3%
1986 71,349 +55,667 +354.97%
1985 15,682 +15,682
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.