Mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre was 47.44 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1965–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 47.44 units per square kilometre for mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre in 2023. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% on the previous year and up 83.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 47.44 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 units per square kilometre, in 1965.
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 26th 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, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1970 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1975 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1976 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1977 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1978 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1979 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1980 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1981 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1982 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1983 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1984 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1985 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1986 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1987 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1988 | 0 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1989 | 0.0002 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1990 | 0.0004 units per square kilometre | +98.0% |
| 1991 | 0.0005 units per square kilometre | +21.8% |
| 1992 | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | +81.3% |
| 1993 | 0.0028 units per square kilometre | +222.2% |
| 1994 | 0.0175 units per square kilometre | +530.0% |
| 1995 | 0.0283 units per square kilometre | +61.5% |
| 1996 | 0.051 units per square kilometre | +80.0% |
| 1997 | 0.0983 units per square kilometre | +92.7% |
| 1998 | 0.1823 units per square kilometre | +85.5% |
| 1999 | 0.3044 units per square kilometre | +67.0% |
| 2000 | 0.5388 units per square kilometre | +77.0% |
| 2001 | 0.8025 units per square kilometre | +48.9% |
| 2002 | 1.18 units per square kilometre | +47.2% |
| 2003 | 1.68 units per square kilometre | +42.2% |
| 2004 | 2.53 units per square kilometre | +50.9% |
| 2005 | 4.22 units per square kilometre | +66.7% |
| 2006 | 6.32 units per square kilometre | +49.6% |
| 2007 | 8.64 units per square kilometre | +36.7% |
| 2008 | 12.21 units per square kilometre | +41.3% |
| 2009 | 14.81 units per square kilometre | +21.3% |
| 2010 | 18.14 units per square kilometre | +22.5% |
| 2011 | 22.05 units per square kilometre | +21.6% |
| 2012 | 22.79 units per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 25.87 units per square kilometre | +13.5% |
| 2014 | 28.5 units per square kilometre | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 31.47 units per square kilometre | +10.4% |
| 2016 | 31.49 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 32.02 units per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 34.56 units per square kilometre | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 36.89 units per square kilometre | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 39.49 units per square kilometre | +7.0% |
| 2021 | 41.63 units per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 2022 | 45.02 units per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 2023 | 47.44 units per square kilometre | +5.4% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa 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% | 0.0028 units per square kilometre | 0.0175 units per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 units per square kilometre | 0 units per square kilometre | 0 units per square kilometre | 1 |
| 1970s | 0 units per square kilometre | 0 units per square kilometre | 0 units per square kilometre | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 units per square kilometre | 0 units per square kilometre | 0.0002 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0686 units per square kilometre | 0.0004 units per square kilometre | 0.3044 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.29 units per square kilometre | 0.5388 units per square kilometre | 14.81 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.38 units per square kilometre | 18.14 units per square kilometre | 36.89 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.39 units per square kilometre | 39.49 units per square kilometre | 47.44 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 23 Nauru 514.35 units per square kilometre compare
- 24 Comoros 501.99 units per square kilometre compare
- 25 Kuwait 455.32 units per square kilometre compare
- 26 Puerto Rico 455.1 units per square kilometre compare
- 27 Philippines 451.89 units per square kilometre compare
- 28 Antigua and Barbuda 423.14 units per square kilometre compare
- 29 Vietnam 419.4 units per square kilometre compare
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.20 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.9049 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, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre in Sub-Saharan Africa was 47.44 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 47.44 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 units per square kilometre in 1965.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 26th out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 83.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Mobile cellular subscriptions, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Mobile cellular subscriptions ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Mobile cellular subscriptions World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.