Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions was 55.33 per 100 people in 2011. ◆ Volatile
Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2011
Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database. Measured in per 100 people.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 55.33 per 100 people for fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in 2011. That is the highest value across all 39 years on record.
That represents a change of up 17.1% on the previous year and up 1,306.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 55.33 per 100 people in 2011 and was at its lowest, 0.5078 per 100 people, in 1960.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5078 per 100 people | 0.5078 per 100 people | 0.5078 per 100 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 0.7365 per 100 people | 0.6288 per 100 people | 0.8349 per 100 people | 6 |
| 1980s | 0.8315 per 100 people | 0.7106 per 100 people | 0.9575 per 100 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.38 per 100 people | 1 per 100 people | 2.43 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.98 per 100 people | 3.13 per 100 people | 39.99 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.28 per 100 people | 47.24 per 100 people | 55.33 per 100 people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.20 billion (2025)
- Air transport, passengers carried 56.96 million (2023)
- Air transport, freight 4,829 million ton-km (2023)
- Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 717,259 (2023)
- Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 3,884 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 3,162 cubic meters (2022)
- Individuals using the Internet 35.7% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa was 55.33 per 100 people in 2011, according to International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database.
- What is the highest fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 55.33 per 100 people in 2011.
- What is the lowest fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5078 per 100 people in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd out of 6 groups with data for 2011.
- Is fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,306.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database, published as part of Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 39 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions are total telephone subscriptions (fixed line plus mobile). Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones. 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.