Mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income): Mobile cellular subscriptions was 299.00 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
The most recent figure for mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) is 299.00 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) peaked at 299.00 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 42nd of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income), 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 | 365 | — |
| 1987 | 5,101 | +1297.5% |
| 1988 | 9,846 | +93.0% |
| 1989 | 15,606 | +58.5% |
| 1990 | 31,809 | +103.8% |
| 1991 | 47,828 | +50.4% |
| 1992 | 61,395 | +28.4% |
| 1993 | 85,076 | +38.6% |
| 1994 | 183,305 | +115.5% |
| 1995 | 471,522 | +157.2% |
| 1996 | 887,675 | +88.3% |
| 1997 | 1.81 million | +103.7% |
| 1998 | 3.90 million | +115.4% |
| 1999 | 9.10 million | +133.6% |
| 2000 | 18.28 million | +100.9% |
| 2001 | 25.03 million | +36.9% |
| 2002 | 32.44 million | +29.6% |
| 2003 | 42.66 million | +31.5% |
| 2004 | 66.27 million | +55.4% |
| 2005 | 100.45 million | +51.6% |
| 2006 | 142.19 million | +41.6% |
| 2007 | 174.23 million | +22.5% |
| 2008 | 196.64 million | +12.9% |
| 2009 | 206.76 million | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 219.90 million | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 240.98 million | +9.6% |
| 2012 | 248.39 million | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 257.27 million | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 260.05 million | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 260.33 million | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 259.51 million | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 265.24 million | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 260.27 million | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 273.25 million | +5.0% |
| 2020 | 265.00 million | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 275.00 million | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 277.00 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 283.00 million | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 291.00 million | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 299.00 million | +2.7% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +1297.5% | 365 | 5,101 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 3,092 | 0 | 15,606 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.66 million | 31,809 | 9.10 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 100.49 million | 18.28 million | 206.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 254.52 million | 219.90 million | 273.25 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 281.67 million | 265.00 million | 299.00 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
More infrastructure data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 117.3 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 29.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 11.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.1145 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -6.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 29.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.18 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 299.00 million (2025)
All data for Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) →
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) was 299.00 million in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 299.00 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) ranks 42nd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 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 — 54 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.