Mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia

Somalia: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 53.96 per 100 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
53.96 per 100 people
Change on year
up 8.6%
World rank
198th
of 214 countries
All-time high
53.96 per 100 people
in 2023
All-time low
0 per 100 people
in 1960
Years of data
52
1960–2023

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia, 1960–2023

0204060196019912023

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Measured in per 100 people.

Analysis

Somalia recorded 53.96 per 100 people for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2023. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

That represents a change of up 8.6% on the previous year and up 34.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia peaked at 53.96 per 100 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 per 100 people, in 1960.

Somalia ranks 198th of 214 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia, year by year

Annual values for Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in Somalia, 1960 to 2023.
Year per 100 people Change
1960 0 per 100 people
1965 0 per 100 people
1970 0 per 100 people
1975 0 per 100 people
1976 0 per 100 people
1977 0 per 100 people
1978 0 per 100 people
1979 0 per 100 people
1980 0 per 100 people
1981 0 per 100 people
1982 0 per 100 people
1983 0 per 100 people
1984 0 per 100 people
1985 0 per 100 people
1986 0 per 100 people
1987 0 per 100 people
1988 0 per 100 people
1989 0 per 100 people
1990 0 per 100 people
1991 0 per 100 people
1992 0 per 100 people
1993 0 per 100 people
1994 0 per 100 people
1995 0 per 100 people
1996 0 per 100 people
1997 0 per 100 people
1998 0 per 100 people
1999 0 per 100 people
2000 0.9051 per 100 people
2001 0.9241 per 100 people +2.1%
2002 1.05 per 100 people +13.3%
2003 2.02 per 100 people +92.8%
2004 4.86 per 100 people +141.0%
2005 4.7 per 100 people -3.4%
2006 5.01 per 100 people +6.7%
2007 5.3 per 100 people +5.7%
2008 5.38 per 100 people +1.4%
2009 5.36 per 100 people -0.3%
2010 5.29 per 100 people -1.4%
2011 14.58 per 100 people +175.7%
2012 18.46 per 100 people +26.6%
2013 40.27 per 100 people +118.2%
2014 41.23 per 100 people +2.4%
2015 42.27 per 100 people +2.5%
2016 46.37 per 100 people +9.7%
2017 47.73 per 100 people +2.9%
2018 49.53 per 100 people +3.8%
2019 51.32 per 100 people +3.6%
2020 53.11 per 100 people +3.5%
2021 51.21 per 100 people -3.6%
2022 49.68 per 100 people -3.0%
2023 53.96 per 100 people +8.6%

Somalia compared with similar countries

  • Somalia's 53.96 per 100 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 65.08 per 100 people, 83% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Somalia's 53.96 per 100 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 93.72 per 100 people, 58% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia 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.

YearChange FromTo
2011 +175.7% 5.29 per 100 people 14.58 per 100 people
2004 +141.0% 2.02 per 100 people 4.86 per 100 people
2013 +118.2% 18.46 per 100 people 40.27 per 100 people
2003 +92.8% 1.05 per 100 people 2.02 per 100 people

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 2
1970s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 6
1980s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 10
1990s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 10
2000s 3.55 per 100 people 0.9051 per 100 people 5.38 per 100 people 10
2010s 35.7 per 100 people 5.29 per 100 people 51.32 per 100 people 10
2020s 51.99 per 100 people 49.68 per 100 people 53.96 per 100 people 4

Countries ranked near Somalia

  1. 195 Guam 59.83 per 100 people compare
  2. 196 Eritrea 59.12 per 100 people compare
  3. 197 Democratic Republic of Congo 58.53 per 100 people compare
  4. 199 Kiribati 53.52 per 100 people compare
  5. 200 Yemen 50.89 per 100 people compare
  6. 201 Equatorial Guinea 49.54 per 100 people compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More infrastructure data for Somalia

All data for Somalia →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia?
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia was 53.96 per 100 people in 2023, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Somalia?
The highest recorded value was 53.96 per 100 people in 2023.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Somalia?
The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.
How does Somalia rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Somalia ranks 198th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Somalia?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Somalia data come from?
The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Mobile cellular subscriptions in Somalia. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people/somalia-fed-rep/

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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
261 places, 13,022 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.