Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — Upper-middle-income countries

Number of mobile subscriptions in upper-middle-income countries in 2024 — 3,435,095,208 subs.

2024 3.44B subs +1.73% vs 2023
World rank
Period maximum 3.44B subs2024
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2024 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — Upper-middle-income countries, 1960–202401B2B3B4B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 0 subs1965: 0 subs1970: 0 subs1975: 0 subs1976: 0 subs1977: 0 subs1978: 0 subs1979: 0 subs1980: 0 subs1981: 0 subs1982: 0 subs1983: 0 subs1984: 1,750 subs1985: 2,029 subs1986: 16,534 subs1987: 35,415 subs1988: 68,446 subs1989: 132,474 subs1990: 308,269 subs1991: 595,550 subs1992: 1,180,263 subs1993: 2,335,819 subs1994: 5,108,886 subs1995: 10,133,351 subs1996: 17,898,969 subs1997: 32,636,560 subs1998: 53,406,957 subs1999: 97,079,501 subs2000: 175,183,964 subs2001: 270,196,804 subs2002: 373,574,868 subs2003: 485,095,342 subs2004: 638,484,188 subs2005: 822,594,916 subs2006: 1,011,455,567 subs2007: 1,244,029,054 subs2008: 1,487,021,723 subs2009: 1,683,378,990 subs2010: 1,921,208,721 subs2011: 2,181,893,536 subs2012: 2,396,117,449 subs2013: 2,613,637,801 subs2014: 2,699,169,831 subs2015: 2,718,080,698 subs2016: 2,849,519,023 subs2017: 2,989,393,741 subs2018: 3,064,470,300 subs2019: 3,198,078,704 subs2020: 3,172,409,098 subs2021: 3,260,974,984 subs2022: 3,295,165,736 subs2023: 3,376,842,956 subs2024: 3,435,095,208 subs
Change over the period: +3.44B

Comparison, 2024

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Upper-middle-income countries

Upper-middle-income countries 3.44B subs
World 9.01B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — Upper-middle-income countries, by year Upper-middle-income countries All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2024 3.44B +58.25M +1.73%
2023 3.38B +81.68M +2.48%
2022 3.3B +34.19M +1.05%
2021 3.26B +88.57M +2.79%
2020 3.17B −25.67M −0.8%
2019 3.2B +134M +4.36%
2018 3.06B +75.08M +2.51%
2017 2.99B +140M +4.91%
2016 2.85B +131M +4.84%
2015 2.72B +18.91M +0.7%
2014 2.7B +85.53M +3.27%
2013 2.61B +218M +9.08%
2012 2.4B +214M +9.82%
2011 2.18B +261M +13.57%
2010 1.92B +238M +14.13%
2009 1.68B +196M +13.2%
2008 1.49B +243M +19.53%
2007 1.24B +233M +22.99%
2006 1.01B +189M +22.96%
2005 823M +184M +28.84%
2004 638M +153M +31.62%
2003 485M +112M +29.85%
2002 374M +103M +38.26%
2001 270M +95.01M +54.24%
2000 175M +78.1M +80.45%
1999 97.08M +43.67M +81.77%
1998 53.41M +20.77M +63.64%
1997 32.64M +14.74M +82.34%
1996 17.9M +7.77M +76.63%
1995 10.13M +5.02M +98.35%
1994 5.11M +2.77M +118.72%
1993 2.34M +1.16M +97.91%
1992 1.18M +584,713 +98.18%
1991 595,550 +287,281 +93.19%
1990 308,269 +175,795 +132.7%
1989 132,474 +64,028 +93.55%
1988 68,446 +33,031 +93.27%
1987 35,415 +18,881 +114.19%
1986 16,534 +14,505 +714.88%
1985 2,029 +279 +15.94%
1984 1,750 +1,750
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.