Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 132.55 per 100 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Measured in per 100 people.
Analysis
Sri Lanka recorded 132.55 per 100 people for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 6.8% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka peaked at 151.73 per 100 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0 per 100 people, in 1960.
Sri Lanka ranks 52nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka, year by year
| 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 | 0.0059 per 100 people | — |
| 1991 | 0.0103 per 100 people | +76.0% |
| 1992 | 0.015 per 100 people | +45.2% |
| 1993 | 0.0824 per 100 people | +449.2% |
| 1994 | 0.162 per 100 people | +96.6% |
| 1995 | 0.2823 per 100 people | +74.2% |
| 1996 | 0.3877 per 100 people | +37.3% |
| 1997 | 0.6227 per 100 people | +60.6% |
| 1998 | 0.9385 per 100 people | +50.7% |
| 1999 | 1.37 per 100 people | +46.5% |
| 2000 | 2.23 per 100 people | +62.2% |
| 2001 | 3.41 per 100 people | +52.8% |
| 2002 | 4.7 per 100 people | +38.1% |
| 2003 | 6.98 per 100 people | +48.5% |
| 2004 | 11.01 per 100 people | +57.6% |
| 2005 | 16.63 per 100 people | +51.1% |
| 2006 | 26.59 per 100 people | +59.9% |
| 2007 | 38.96 per 100 people | +46.5% |
| 2008 | 53.72 per 100 people | +37.9% |
| 2009 | 78.56 per 100 people | +46.2% |
| 2010 | 83.14 per 100 people | +5.8% |
| 2011 | 87.2 per 100 people | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 91.32 per 100 people | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 95.11 per 100 people | +4.1% |
| 2014 | 102.67 per 100 people | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 109.98 per 100 people | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 117.74 per 100 people | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 127.67 per 100 people | +8.4% |
| 2018 | 136.08 per 100 people | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 126.51 per 100 people | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 131.77 per 100 people | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 135.52 per 100 people | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 151.73 per 100 people | +12.0% |
| 2023 | 142.28 per 100 people | -6.2% |
| 2024 | 132.55 per 100 people | -6.8% |
Sri Lanka compared with similar countries
- Sri Lanka's 132.55 per 100 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 120.08 per 100 people, 1.1× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Sri Lanka's 132.55 per 100 people is above the median for South Asia, which is 103.96 per 100 people, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | +449.2% | 0.015 per 100 people | 0.0824 per 100 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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 | 0.3882 per 100 people | 0.0059 per 100 people | 1.37 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.28 per 100 people | 2.23 per 100 people | 78.56 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 107.74 per 100 people | 83.14 per 100 people | 136.08 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 138.77 per 100 people | 131.77 per 100 people | 151.73 per 100 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sri Lanka
More infrastructure data for Sri Lanka
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 30.62 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 1.58 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 6.85 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0722 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -7.33 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 1.58 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.4 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 30.62 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sri Lanka was 132.55 per 100 people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The highest recorded value was 151.73 per 100 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sri Lanka?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.
- How does Sri Lanka rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Sri Lanka ranks 52nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sri Lanka 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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.