European Union vs South Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions

European Union
123.69 per 100 people
in 2022
South Africa
179.34 per 100 people
in 2024
European Union rank
1st
South Africa rank
10th

Mobile cellular subscriptions over time

  • European Union
  • South Africa
050100150200196019922024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 179.34 per 100 people against 123.69 per 100 people in European Union, a difference of 55.65 per 100 people.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times European Union's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

European Union ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 10th of 2 regions.

Across the 7 decades both report, European Union averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade European Union South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people
1970s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people
1980s 0.0863 per 100 people 0.001 per 100 people 0.0853 per 100 people European Union
1990s 7.89 per 100 people 2.68 per 100 people 5.21 per 100 people European Union
2000s 90.33 per 100 people 55.57 per 100 people 34.76 per 100 people European Union
2010s 122.22 per 100 people 140.04 per 100 people 17.82 per 100 people South Africa
2020s 122.81 per 100 people 160.77 per 100 people 37.96 per 100 people South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile cellular subscriptions, European Union or South Africa?
South Africa, at 179.34 per 100 people against 123.69 per 100 people in European Union as of 2024.
What is the difference in mobile cellular subscriptions between European Union and South Africa?
55.65 per 100 people, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for European Union and South Africa?
51 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2022.
How do European Union and South Africa rank globally for mobile cellular subscriptions?
European Union ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 10th of 2 regions.
Where does this data come from?
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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European Union vs South Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people/european-union/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)
Unit
per 100 people
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
260 places, 13,015 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.