Number of mobile subscriptions — all countries

Number of mobile subscriptions — World

Number of mobile subscriptions in the world in 2025 — 9,171,000,000 subs.

2025 9.17B subs +1.84% vs 2024
World rank
Period maximum 9.17B subs2025
Period minimum 0 subs1960

Trend over time

1960–2025 · subscriptions

Number of mobile subscriptions — World, 1960–202502.5B5B7.5B10B19601967197419811988199520022009201620231960: 0 subs1965: 0 subs1970: 0 subs1975: 0 subs1976: 0 subs1977: 0 subs1978: 0 subs1979: 0 subs1980: 23,482 subs1981: 63,585 subs1982: 101,509 subs1983: 148,855 subs1984: 319,252 subs1985: 750,629 subs1986: 1,450,136 subs1987: 2,545,270 subs1988: 4,327,956 subs1989: 7,353,071 subs1990: 11,210,115 subs1991: 16,276,503 subs1992: 23,245,154 subs1993: 34,163,482 subs1994: 55,511,640 subs1995: 90,743,607 subs1996: 145,042,295 subs1997: 214,953,349 subs1998: 318,097,469 subs1999: 490,984,248 subs2000: 720,284,068 subs2001: 939,196,613 subs2002: 1,139,886,993 subs2003: 1,389,227,959 subs2004: 1,738,235,293 subs2005: 2,205,300,000 subs2006: 2,744,600,000 subs2007: 3,367,800,000 subs2008: 4,029,900,000 subs2009: 4,639,900,000 subs2010: 5,290,100,000 subs2011: 5,889,500,000 subs2012: 6,260,500,000 subs2013: 6,661,500,000 subs2014: 6,995,900,000 subs2015: 7,131,700,000 subs2016: 7,452,200,000 subs2017: 7,696,600,000 subs2018: 7,915,300,000 subs2019: 8,214,200,000 subs2020: 8,260,000,000 subs2021: 8,476,000,000 subs2022: 8,654,000,000 subs2023: 8,877,000,000 subs2024: 9,005,000,000 subs2025: 9,171,000,000 subs
Change over the period: +9.17B

Comparison, 2025

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

World 9.17B subs
World 9.17B subs
Number of mobile subscriptions — World, by year World All countries CSV XLSX
Year subs Change Change, %
2025 9.17B +166M +1.84%
2024 9.01B +128M +1.44%
2023 8.88B +223M +2.58%
2022 8.65B +178M +2.1%
2021 8.48B +216M +2.62%
2020 8.26B +45.8M +0.56%
2019 8.21B +299M +3.78%
2018 7.92B +219M +2.84%
2017 7.7B +244M +3.28%
2016 7.45B +321M +4.49%
2015 7.13B +136M +1.94%
2014 7B +334M +5.02%
2013 6.66B +401M +6.41%
2012 6.26B +371M +6.3%
2011 5.89B +599M +11.33%
2010 5.29B +650M +14.01%
2009 4.64B +610M +15.14%
2008 4.03B +662M +19.66%
2007 3.37B +623M +22.71%
2006 2.74B +539M +24.45%
2005 2.21B +467M +26.87%
2004 1.74B +349M +25.12%
2003 1.39B +249M +21.87%
2002 1.14B +201M +21.37%
2001 939M +219M +30.39%
2000 720M +229M +46.7%
1999 491M +173M +54.35%
1998 318M +103M +47.98%
1997 215M +69.91M +48.2%
1996 145M +54.3M +59.84%
1995 90.74M +35.23M +63.47%
1994 55.51M +21.35M +62.49%
1993 34.16M +10.92M +46.97%
1992 23.25M +6.97M +42.81%
1991 16.28M +5.07M +45.19%
1990 11.21M +3.86M +52.45%
1989 7.35M +3.03M +69.9%
1988 4.33M +1.78M +70.04%
1987 2.55M +1.1M +75.52%
1986 1.45M +699,507 +93.19%
1985 750,629 +431,377 +135.12%
1984 319,252 +170,397 +114.47%
1983 148,855 +47,346 +46.64%
1982 101,509 +37,924 +59.64%
1981 63,585 +40,103 +170.78%
1980 23,482 +23,482
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.