Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled was 1.10 billion in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 1.10 billion for mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in 2025. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 46.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 1.10 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 23rd of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 3,980 | — |
| 1990 | 7,880 | +98.0% |
| 1991 | 9,600 | +21.8% |
| 1992 | 17,406 | +81.3% |
| 1993 | 59,142 | +239.8% |
| 1994 | 372,608 | +530.0% |
| 1995 | 601,656 | +61.5% |
| 1996 | 1.08 million | +79.9% |
| 1997 | 2.09 million | +92.7% |
| 1998 | 3.87 million | +85.4% |
| 1999 | 6.45 million | +66.8% |
| 2000 | 11.42 million | +77.0% |
| 2001 | 17.01 million | +49.0% |
| 2002 | 25.05 million | +47.3% |
| 2003 | 35.64 million | +42.2% |
| 2004 | 54.16 million | +52.0% |
| 2005 | 90.31 million | +66.8% |
| 2006 | 135.16 million | +49.7% |
| 2007 | 184.75 million | +36.7% |
| 2008 | 261.04 million | +41.3% |
| 2009 | 316.65 million | +21.3% |
| 2010 | 387.84 million | +22.5% |
| 2011 | 471.60 million | +21.6% |
| 2012 | 544.31 million | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 617.94 million | +13.5% |
| 2014 | 680.83 million | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 751.85 million | +10.4% |
| 2016 | 752.25 million | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 765.04 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 771.26 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 881.59 million | +14.3% |
| 2020 | 900.00 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 931.00 million | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.00 billion | +7.9% |
| 2023 | 1.06 billion | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 1.06 billion | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 1.10 billion | +3.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +530.0% | 59,142 | 372,608 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 398 | 0 | 3,980 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.46 million | 7,880 | 6.45 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 113.12 million | 11.42 million | 316.65 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 662.45 million | 387.84 million | 881.59 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 billion | 900.00 million | 1.10 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.10 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 92.7 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 4.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.003 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -20 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 4.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.8324 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 1.10 billion in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.10 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 23rd out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Mobile cellular subscriptions with 80 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Mobile cellular subscriptions World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Mobile cellular subscriptions with 80 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.