Russian Federation vs South Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Russian Federation
186.1 per 100 people
in 2024
South Africa
179.34 per 100 people
in 2024
Russian Federation rank
8th
South Africa rank
10th

Mobile cellular subscriptions over time

  • Russian Federation
  • South Africa
050100150200196019922024

How they compare

Russian Federation currently reports 186.1 per 100 people against 179.34 per 100 people in South Africa, a difference of 6.76 per 100 people.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 53 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Russian Federation ranks 8th and South Africa ranks 10th of 214 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade Russian Federation South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people β€”
1970s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people β€”
1980s 0 per 100 people 0.001 per 100 people 0.001 per 100 people South Africa
1990s 0.2008 per 100 people 2.68 per 100 people 2.48 per 100 people South Africa
2000s 70.04 per 100 people 55.57 per 100 people 14.47 per 100 people Russian Federation
2010s 154.37 per 100 people 140.04 per 100 people 14.33 per 100 people Russian Federation
2020s 173.52 per 100 people 166.63 per 100 people 6.89 per 100 people Russian Federation

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile cellular subscriptions, Russian Federation or South Africa?
Russian Federation, at 186.1 per 100 people against 179.34 per 100 people in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in mobile cellular subscriptions between Russian Federation and South Africa?
6.76 per 100 people, with Russian Federation ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Russian Federation and South Africa?
53 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Russian Federation and South Africa rank globally for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Russian Federation ranks 8th and South Africa ranks 10th of 214 countries.
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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Russian Federation vs South Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people/russian-federation/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.