Mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 25.63 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
In 2024, mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan stood at 25.63 million. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.3% on the previous year and up 39.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan peaked at 25.63 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
That places Afghanistan 56th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 0 | — |
| 1979 | 0 | — |
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 25,000 | — |
| 2003 | 200,000 | +700.0% |
| 2004 | 600,000 | +200.0% |
| 2005 | 1.20 million | +100.0% |
| 2006 | 2.52 million | +110.0% |
| 2007 | 4.67 million | +85.2% |
| 2008 | 7.90 million | +69.2% |
| 2009 | 10.50 million | +32.9% |
| 2010 | 10.22 million | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 13.80 million | +35.1% |
| 2012 | 15.34 million | +11.2% |
| 2013 | 16.81 million | +9.6% |
| 2014 | 18.41 million | +9.5% |
| 2015 | 19.71 million | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 21.60 million | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 23.93 million | +10.8% |
| 2018 | 21.98 million | -8.2% |
| 2019 | 22.58 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 22.68 million | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 22.68 million | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 22.83 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 23.03 million | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 25.63 million | +11.3% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 25.63 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 15.00 million, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 25.63 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 16.65 million, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +700.0% | 25,000 | 200,000 |
| 2004 | +200.0% | 200,000 | 600,000 |
| 2006 | +110.0% | 1.20 million | 2.52 million |
| 2005 | +100.0% | 600,000 | 1.20 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.76 million | 0 | 10.50 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.44 million | 10.22 million | 23.93 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.37 million | 22.68 million | 25.63 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 53 Chile 26.22 million compare
- 54 Kazakhstan 26.17 million compare
- 55 Mali 25.87 million compare
- 57 Madagascar 23.54 million compare
- 58 Netherlands 23.43 million compare
- 59 Zambia 23.17 million compare
More infrastructure data for Afghanistan
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 60.1 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 181,963 (2023)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4389 per 100 people (2023)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0044 units per person (2023)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate 12.17 % change on previous year (2023)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 181,963 (2023)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.601 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0014 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 25.63 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Afghanistan was 25.63 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 25.63 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Afghanistan rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Afghanistan ranks 56th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Mobile cellular subscriptions. 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.