What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?

The highest recorded value was 90.4 per 100 people in 2025.

What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?

The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.

How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?

Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 34th out of 48 groups with data for 2025.

Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?

Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)

Name: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Creator: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Mobile cellular subscriptions was 90.4 per 100 people in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

90.4 per 100 people

Change on year

up 1.3%

Rank

34th

of 48 groups

All-time high

90.4 per 100 people

in 2025

All-time low

0 per 100 people

in 1960

Years of data

1960–2025

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) is 90.4 per 100 people, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 23.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 90.4 per 100 people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 per 100 people, in 1960.

Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 34th of 48 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.

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	0.0001 per 100 people	0 per 100 people	0.0008 per 100 people	10
1990s	0.2324 per 100 people	0.0015 per 100 people	0.9979 per 100 people	10
2000s	14.2 per 100 people	1.72 per 100 people	37.41 per 100 people	10
2010s	65.63 per 100 people	44.09 per 100 people	77.4 per 100 people	10
2020s	86.83 per 100 people	80.8 per 100 people	90.4 per 100 people	6

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)

31 Maldives 148.14 per 100 people compare
32 Guinea-Bissau 147.2 per 100 people compare
33 Uruguay 145.5 per 100 people compare
34 Luxembourg 144.47 per 100 people compare
35 Suriname 142.12 per 100 people compare
36 Malta 142.07 per 100 people compare
37 Sweden 140.69 per 100 people compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)

Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (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 35.2% (2025)
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 13.9% (2022)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 90.4 per 100 people in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: The highest recorded value was 90.4 per 100 people in 2025.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?: Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 34th out of 48 groups with data for 2025.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: Over the last ten years it is up 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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 — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

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: 260 places, 13,015 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

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.