Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita was 0.8324 units per person in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per person.
Analysis
In 2025, mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) stood at 0.8324 units per person.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 0.8398 units per person in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 units per person, in 1960.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 38th out of 45 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | units per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1965 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1970 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1975 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1976 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1977 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1978 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1979 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1980 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1981 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1982 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1983 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1984 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1985 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1986 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1987 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1988 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1989 | 0 units per person | — |
| 1990 | 0 units per person | +92.6% |
| 1991 | 0 units per person | +18.6% |
| 1992 | 0 units per person | +76.5% |
| 1993 | 0.0001 units per person | +230.6% |
| 1994 | 0.0006 units per person | +513.5% |
| 1995 | 0.001 units per person | +57.2% |
| 1996 | 0.0018 units per person | +75.1% |
| 1997 | 0.0033 units per person | +87.7% |
| 1998 | 0.006 units per person | +80.6% |
| 1999 | 0.0097 units per person | +62.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0168 units per person | +72.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0243 units per person | +45.0% |
| 2002 | 0.0349 units per person | +43.4% |
| 2003 | 0.0483 units per person | +38.5% |
| 2004 | 0.0714 units per person | +47.9% |
| 2005 | 0.1159 units per person | +62.3% |
| 2006 | 0.1688 units per person | +45.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2245 units per person | +33.0% |
| 2008 | 0.3085 units per person | +37.4% |
| 2009 | 0.364 units per person | +18.0% |
| 2010 | 0.4337 units per person | +19.1% |
| 2011 | 0.5132 units per person | +18.3% |
| 2012 | 0.5763 units per person | +12.3% |
| 2013 | 0.6366 units per person | +10.5% |
| 2014 | 0.6826 units per person | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 0.7338 units per person | +7.5% |
| 2016 | 0.715 units per person | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 0.7083 units per person | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 0.6954 units per person | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 0.7744 units per person | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 0.7705 units per person | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 0.7771 units per person | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 0.8184 units per person | +5.3% |
| 2023 | 0.8398 units per person | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 0.8257 units per person | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 0.8324 units per person | +0.8% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 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 | +513.5% | 0.0001 units per person | 0.0006 units per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 0 units per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0023 units per person | 0 units per person | 0.0097 units per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1377 units per person | 0.0168 units per person | 0.364 units per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6469 units per person | 0.4337 units per person | 0.7744 units per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.8106 units per person | 0.7705 units per person | 0.8398 units per person | 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 unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 1.10 billion (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 0.8324 units per person in 2025, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 0.8398 units per person in 2023.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 units per person in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 38th out of 45 groups with data for 2025.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. 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, per capita. 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 divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Mobile cellular subscriptions ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- Mobile cellular subscriptions World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
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 divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.