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Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) was 55.33 per 100 people in 2011. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2011)
55.33 per 100 people
Change on year
up 17.1%
Rank
3rd
of 6 groups
All-time high
55.33 per 100 people
in 2011
All-time low
0.5078 per 100 people
in 1960
Years of data
39
1960–2011

Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2011

02040601960198520111960: 0.508 per 100 people1970: 0.629 per 100 people1975: 0.713 per 100 people1976: 0.704 per 100 people1977: 0.737 per 100 people1978: 0.8 per 100 people1979: 0.835 per 100 people1980: 0.866 per 100 people1981: 0.711 per 100 people1982: 0.741 per 100 people1983: 0.774 per 100 people1984: 0.787 per 100 people1985: 0.814 per 100 people1986: 0.861 per 100 people1987: 0.885 per 100 people1988: 0.918 per 100 people1989: 0.958 per 100 people1990: 1 per 100 people1991: 1 per 100 people1992: 1 per 100 people1993: 1 per 100 people1994: 1.1 per 100 people1995: 1.2 per 100 people1996: 1.3 per 100 people1997: 1.6 per 100 people1998: 2 per 100 people1999: 2.4 per 100 people2000: 3.1 per 100 people2001: 3.9 per 100 people2002: 5.1 per 100 people2003: 6.5 per 100 people2004: 9 per 100 people2005: 13.7 per 100 people2006: 19.5 per 100 people2007: 25.1 per 100 people2008: 33.9 per 100 people2009: 40 per 100 people2010: 47.2 per 100 people2011: 55.3 per 100 people

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.

Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year

Year per 100 people Change
1960 0.5078 per 100 people —
1970 0.6288 per 100 people +23.8%
1975 0.7134 per 100 people +13.4%
1976 0.7045 per 100 people -1.2%
1977 0.7375 per 100 people +4.7%
1978 0.8002 per 100 people +8.5%
1979 0.8349 per 100 people +4.3%
1980 0.8664 per 100 people +3.8%
1981 0.7106 per 100 people -18.0%
1982 0.7415 per 100 people +4.3%
1983 0.774 per 100 people +4.4%
1984 0.7868 per 100 people +1.7%
1985 0.8141 per 100 people +3.5%
1986 0.8613 per 100 people +5.8%
1987 0.8849 per 100 people +2.7%
1988 0.9179 per 100 people +3.7%
1989 0.9575 per 100 people +4.3%
1990 1 per 100 people +4.8%
1991 1.02 per 100 people +1.8%
1992 1.02 per 100 people -0.7%
1993 1.04 per 100 people +2.7%
1994 1.13 per 100 people +8.8%
1995 1.22 per 100 people +7.2%
1996 1.35 per 100 people +10.8%
1997 1.58 per 100 people +17.5%
1998 1.95 per 100 people +23.3%
1999 2.43 per 100 people +24.6%
2000 3.13 per 100 people +28.6%
2001 3.93 per 100 people +25.8%
2002 5.07 per 100 people +28.8%
2003 6.52 per 100 people +28.6%
2004 9.02 per 100 people +38.3%
2005 13.65 per 100 people +51.4%
2006 19.53 per 100 people +43.1%
2007 25.06 per 100 people +28.3%
2008 33.92 per 100 people +35.4%
2009 39.99 per 100 people +17.9%
2010 47.24 per 100 people +18.1%
2011 55.33 per 100 people +17.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 1 Seychelles 179.66 per 100 people compare
  2. 2 Libya 171.27 per 100 people compare
  3. 3 Botswana 150.18 per 100 people compare
  4. 4 South Africa 134.67 per 100 people compare
  5. 5 Mauritius 129.75 per 100 people compare
  6. 6 Tunisia 127.47 per 100 people compare

See the full ranking of 59 places →

More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa →

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.

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Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database. Retrieved 08 November 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/fixed-line-and-mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Fixed line and mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)
Unit
per 100 people
Source
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication/ICT Development Report and database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,189 data points, 1960–2011
Last refreshed

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.