Mobile cellular subscriptions in Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 6.98 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Costa Rica, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Costa Rica recorded 6.98 million for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Costa Rica peaked at 8.84 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
That places Costa Rica 113th 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 Costa Rica, 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 | 3,008 | — |
| 1993 | 4,533 | +50.7% |
| 1994 | 6,985 | +54.1% |
| 1995 | 18,750 | +168.4% |
| 1996 | 46,531 | +148.2% |
| 1997 | 64,387 | +38.4% |
| 1998 | 108,770 | +68.9% |
| 1999 | 138,178 | +27.0% |
| 2000 | 211,614 | +53.1% |
| 2001 | 326,944 | +54.5% |
| 2002 | 502,478 | +53.7% |
| 2003 | 778,299 | +54.9% |
| 2004 | 923,084 | +18.6% |
| 2005 | 1.10 million | +19.3% |
| 2006 | 1.44 million | +31.1% |
| 2007 | 1.51 million | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 1.89 million | +25.1% |
| 2009 | 1.95 million | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 3.13 million | +60.4% |
| 2011 | 4.15 million | +32.8% |
| 2012 | 5.38 million | +29.5% |
| 2013 | 7.11 million | +32.2% |
| 2014 | 7.02 million | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 7.54 million | +7.3% |
| 2016 | 8.33 million | +10.6% |
| 2017 | 8.84 million | +6.1% |
| 2018 | 8.50 million | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 7.23 million | -15.0% |
| 2020 | 7.17 million | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 7.12 million | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 6.94 million | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 6.82 million | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 6.98 million | +2.4% |
Costa Rica compared with similar countries
- Costa Rica's 6.98 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.70 million, 1.5× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Costa Rica's 6.98 million is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4.51 million, 1.5× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 39,114 | 0 | 138,178 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.06 million | 211,614 | 1.95 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.72 million | 3.13 million | 8.84 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.01 million | 6.82 million | 7.17 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Costa Rica
More infrastructure data for Costa Rica
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 136.03 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 610,457 (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 11.9 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.119 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -3.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 610,457 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.36 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 6.98 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Costa Rica?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Costa Rica was 6.98 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The highest recorded value was 8.84 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Costa Rica?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Costa Rica rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Costa Rica ranks 113th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Costa Rica?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Costa Rica 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.
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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.