Mobile cellular subscriptions in Australia
Australia: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 30.07 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Australia, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Australia recorded 30.07 million for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Australia peaked at 30.07 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
Australia ranks 48th 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 Australia, 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 | 4,423 | — |
| 1988 | 31,622 | +614.9% |
| 1989 | 94,529 | +198.9% |
| 1990 | 184,943 | +95.6% |
| 1991 | 291,459 | +57.6% |
| 1992 | 497,000 | +70.5% |
| 1993 | 690,000 | +38.8% |
| 1994 | 1.22 million | +76.8% |
| 1995 | 2.24 million | +83.8% |
| 1996 | 3.99 million | +78.0% |
| 1997 | 4.58 million | +14.7% |
| 1998 | 4.92 million | +7.4% |
| 1999 | 6.32 million | +28.4% |
| 2000 | 8.56 million | +35.6% |
| 2001 | 11.13 million | +30.0% |
| 2002 | 12.67 million | +13.8% |
| 2003 | 14.35 million | +13.2% |
| 2004 | 16.48 million | +14.9% |
| 2005 | 18.42 million | +11.8% |
| 2006 | 19.76 million | +7.3% |
| 2007 | 21.26 million | +7.6% |
| 2008 | 22.12 million | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 22.20 million | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 22.50 million | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 23.79 million | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 24.34 million | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 24.94 million | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 25.06 million | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 25.77 million | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 26.55 million | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 26.66 million | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 27.64 million | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 27.97 million | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 27.01 million | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 27.29 million | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 28.68 million | +5.1% |
| 2023 | 29.76 million | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 30.07 million | +1.1% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 30.07 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.70 million, 6.4× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Australia's 30.07 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.10 million, 7.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Australia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +614.9% | 4,423 | 31,622 |
| 1989 | +198.9% | 31,622 | 94,529 |
| 1990 | +95.6% | 94,529 | 184,943 |
| 1995 | +83.8% | 1.22 million | 2.24 million |
| 1996 | +78.0% | 2.24 million | 3.99 million |
| 1994 | +76.8% | 690,000 | 1.22 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 13,057 | 0 | 94,529 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.49 million | 184,943 | 6.32 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.70 million | 8.56 million | 22.20 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.52 million | 22.50 million | 27.97 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.56 million | 27.01 million | 30.07 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More infrastructure data for Australia
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 112.58 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.95 million (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 22.28 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.2189 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -8.03 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.95 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.11 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 30.07 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Australia?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Australia was 30.07 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 30.07 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Australia rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Australia ranks 48th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Australia 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.