South Africa vs Upper middle income: Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita
South Africa
1.79 units per person
in 2024
Upper middle income
1.22 units per person
in 2025
South Africa rank
10th
Upper middle income rank
13th
Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita over time
- South Africa
- Upper middle income
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.79 units per person against 1.22 units per person in Upper middle income, a difference of 0.57 units per person.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.5 times Upper middle income's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 38 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Upper middle income ahead.
South Africa ranks 10th and Upper middle income ranks 13th of 213 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and Upper middle income in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Upper middle income | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | — |
| 1970s | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | — |
| 1980s | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | Upper middle income |
| 1990s | 0.0266 units per person | 0.009 units per person | 0.0176 units per person | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.55 units per person | 1.05 units per person | 0.495 units per person | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.67 units per person | 1.15 units per person | 0.5139 units per person | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita, South Africa or Upper middle income?
- South Africa, at 1.79 units per person against 1.22 units per person in Upper middle income as of 2024.
- What is the difference in mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita between South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 0.57 units per person, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Upper middle income?
- 38 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Upper middle income rank globally for mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita?
- South Africa ranks 10th and Upper middle income ranks 13th of 213 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Mobile cellular subscriptions divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.