Other small states vs South Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Other small states
124.94 per 100 people
in 2022
South Africa
179.34 per 100 people
in 2024
Other small states rank
10th
South Africa rank
10th

Mobile cellular subscriptions over time

  • Other small states
  • South Africa
050100150200196019922024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 179.34 per 100 people against 124.94 per 100 people in Other small states, a difference of 54.4 per 100 people.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times Other small states's.

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

Other small states ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 10th of 45 groups.

Across the 7 decades both report, Other small states averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Other small states 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 0.0448 per 100 people 0.001 per 100 people 0.0437 per 100 people Other small states
1990s 3.56 per 100 people 2.68 per 100 people 0.8795 per 100 people Other small states
2000s 50.1 per 100 people 55.57 per 100 people 5.47 per 100 people South Africa
2010s 111.22 per 100 people 140.04 per 100 people 28.82 per 100 people South Africa
2020s 121.14 per 100 people 160.77 per 100 people 39.63 per 100 people South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile cellular subscriptions, Other small states or South Africa?
South Africa, at 179.34 per 100 people against 124.94 per 100 people in Other small states as of 2024.
What is the difference in mobile cellular subscriptions between Other small states and South Africa?
54.4 per 100 people, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Other small states and South Africa?
51 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2022.
How do Other small states and South Africa rank globally for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Other small states ranks 10th and South Africa ranks 10th of 45 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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Other small states vs South Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people/other-small-states/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.