Mobile cellular subscriptions in Bulgaria
Bulgaria: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 7.98 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Bulgaria, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Bulgaria recorded 7.98 million for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Bulgaria peaked at 10.78 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
That places Bulgaria 102nd 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 Bulgaria, 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 | 1,000 | — |
| 1994 | 6,500 | +550.0% |
| 1995 | 20,920 | +221.8% |
| 1996 | 26,588 | +27.1% |
| 1997 | 70,000 | +163.3% |
| 1998 | 127,000 | +81.4% |
| 1999 | 350,000 | +175.6% |
| 2000 | 738,000 | +110.9% |
| 2001 | 1.55 million | +110.0% |
| 2002 | 2.60 million | +67.6% |
| 2003 | 3.50 million | +34.8% |
| 2004 | 4.73 million | +35.1% |
| 2005 | 6.24 million | +32.0% |
| 2006 | 8.25 million | +32.2% |
| 2007 | 9.90 million | +19.9% |
| 2008 | 10.43 million | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 10.45 million | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 10.20 million | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 10.48 million | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 10.78 million | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 10.49 million | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 9.49 million | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 9.19 million | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 8.97 million | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 8.53 million | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 8.39 million | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 8.13 million | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 7.95 million | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 7.90 million | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 7.96 million | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 8.01 million | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 7.98 million | -0.4% |
Bulgaria compared with similar countries
- Bulgaria's 7.98 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.70 million, 1.7× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Bulgaria's 7.98 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.64 million, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Bulgaria 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 | +550.0% | 1,000 | 6,500 |
| 1995 | +221.8% | 6,500 | 20,920 |
| 1999 | +175.6% | 127,000 | 350,000 |
| 1997 | +163.3% | 26,588 | 70,000 |
| 2000 | +110.9% | 350,000 | 738,000 |
| 2001 | +110.0% | 738,000 | 1.55 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 | 60,201 | 0 | 350,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.84 million | 738,000 | 10.45 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.47 million | 8.13 million | 10.78 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.96 million | 7.90 million | 8.01 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bulgaria
More infrastructure data for Bulgaria
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 118.07 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 551,943 (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 8.17 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0857 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -10.89 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 551,943 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.24 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 7.98 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Bulgaria?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Bulgaria was 7.98 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Bulgaria?
- The highest recorded value was 10.78 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Bulgaria?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Bulgaria rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Bulgaria ranks 102nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Bulgaria?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Bulgaria 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.