Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy

Italy: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 78.67 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
78.67 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
25th
of 214 countries
All-time high
97.19 million
in 2012
All-time low
0
in 1960
Years of data
53
1960–2024

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy, 1960–2024

020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M100.0M196019922024

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Analysis

In 2024, mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy stood at 78.67 million.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 12.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy peaked at 97.19 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.

That places Italy 25th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy, year by year

Annual values for Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy, 1960 to 2024.
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 6,415
1986 9,044 +41.0%
1987 16,534 +82.8%
1988 33,609 +103.3%
1989 66,070 +96.6%
1990 266,000 +302.6%
1991 568,000 +113.5%
1992 783,000 +37.9%
1993 1.21 million +54.2%
1994 2.24 million +85.6%
1995 3.92 million +75.1%
1996 6.42 million +63.7%
1997 11.74 million +82.8%
1998 20.49 million +74.6%
1999 30.30 million +47.9%
2000 42.25 million +39.4%
2001 51.25 million +21.3%
2002 54.20 million +5.8%
2003 56.77 million +4.7%
2004 62.75 million +10.5%
2005 71.50 million +13.9%
2006 80.42 million +12.5%
2007 89.80 million +11.7%
2008 90.34 million +0.6%
2009 90.03 million -0.3%
2010 93.67 million +4.0%
2011 96.04 million +2.5%
2012 97.19 million +1.2%
2013 96.86 million -0.3%
2014 89.91 million -7.2%
2015 87.69 million -2.5%
2016 85.96 million -2.0%
2017 83.87 million -2.4%
2018 83.34 million -0.6%
2019 79.48 million -4.6%
2020 77.58 million -2.4%
2021 78.11 million +0.7%
2022 78.50 million +0.5%
2023 78.46 million -0.1%
2024 78.67 million +0.3%

Italy compared with similar countries

  • Italy's 78.67 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.70 million, 16.7× the median. (82 countries reporting)
  • Italy's 78.67 million is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 7.64 million, 10.3× the median. (56 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy 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.

YearChange FromTo
1990 +302.6% 66,070 266,000

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0 0 0 2
1970s 0 0 0 6
1980s 13,167 0 66,070 10
1990s 7.79 million 266,000 30.30 million 10
2000s 68.93 million 42.25 million 90.34 million 10
2010s 89.40 million 79.48 million 97.19 million 10
2020s 78.27 million 77.58 million 78.67 million 5

Countries ranked near Italy

  1. 22 Tanzania 86.77 million compare
  2. 23 Ethiopia 85.95 million compare
  3. 24 United Kingdom 84.10 million compare
  4. 26 France 77.53 million compare
  5. 27 Kenya 71.38 million compare
  6. 28 Argentina 64.08 million compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More infrastructure data for Italy

All data for Italy →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy?
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy was 78.67 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Italy?
The highest recorded value was 97.19 million in 2012.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Italy?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
How does Italy rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Italy ranks 25th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Italy?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Italy 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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Mobile cellular subscriptions in Italy. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/mobile-cellular-subscriptions/italy/

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About this data

Indicator
Mobile cellular subscriptions
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
261 places, 13,046 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.