Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
107.1 per 100 people
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
159.54 per 100 people
in 2024
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan rank
26th
Saudi Arabia rank
23rd

Mobile cellular subscriptions over time

  • Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
  • Saudi Arabia
050100150200196019922025

How they compare

Saudi Arabia currently reports 159.54 per 100 people against 107.1 per 100 people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, a difference of 52.44 per 100 people.

That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.5 times Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 26th and Saudi Arabia ranks 23rd of 47 groups.

Saudi Arabia has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan Saudi Arabia Difference Ahead
1990s 0.6699 per 100 people 1.02 per 100 people 0.3532 per 100 people Saudi Arabia
2000s 32.06 per 100 people 76.4 per 100 people 44.33 per 100 people Saudi Arabia
2010s 101.83 per 100 people 171.34 per 100 people 69.5 per 100 people Saudi Arabia
2020s 100.44 per 100 people 150.31 per 100 people 49.87 per 100 people Saudi Arabia

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile cellular subscriptions, Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia, at 159.54 per 100 people against 107.1 per 100 people in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan as of 2024.
What is the difference in mobile cellular subscriptions between Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and Saudi Arabia?
52.44 per 100 people, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and Saudi Arabia?
35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
How do Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and Saudi Arabia rank globally for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan ranks 26th and Saudi Arabia ranks 23rd of 47 groups.
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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Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan vs Saudi Arabia: Mobile cellular subscriptions. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people/middle-east-north-africa-afghanistan-and-pakistan/saudi-arabia/

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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
261 places, 13,022 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.