Nigeria vs South Africa: Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers

Nigeria
95.89 million
in 2011
South Africa
68.13 million
in 2011
Nigeria rank
1st
South Africa rank
3rd

Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers over time

  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M196019852011

How they compare

Nigeria currently reports 95.89 million against 68.13 million in South Africa, a difference of 27.76 million.

That makes Nigeria's figure about 1.4 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 32 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Nigeria ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 3rd of 53 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Nigeria averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 20,544 650,013 629,469 South Africa
1980s 202,519 2.38 million 2.18 million South Africa
1990s 385,810 5.33 million 4.94 million South Africa
2000s 25.40 million 32.49 million 7.09 million South Africa
2010s 92.12 million 61.36 million 30.76 million Nigeria

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers, Nigeria or South Africa?
Nigeria, at 95.89 million against 68.13 million in South Africa as of 2011.
What is the difference in mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers between Nigeria and South Africa?
27.76 million, with Nigeria ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
32 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2011.
How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers?
Nigeria ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 3rd of 53 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, published as Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs South Africa: Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/mobile-and-fixed-line-telephone-subscribers/nigeria/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Mobile and fixed-line telephone subscribers
Source
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,189 data points, 1960–2011
Last refreshed

International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database.