Mobile cellular subscriptions in Lesotho
Lesotho: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 1.64 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Lesotho, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 1.64 million for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Lesotho peaked at 2.38 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
Lesotho ranks 156th of 214 countries on this measure, 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 Lesotho, 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 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 1,262 | — |
| 1997 | 3,500 | +177.3% |
| 1998 | 9,831 | +180.9% |
| 1999 | 12,000 | +22.1% |
| 2000 | 21,600 | +80.0% |
| 2001 | 57,000 | +163.9% |
| 2002 | 137,953 | +142.0% |
| 2003 | 125,950 | -8.7% |
| 2004 | 196,213 | +55.8% |
| 2005 | 249,786 | +27.3% |
| 2006 | 357,913 | +43.3% |
| 2007 | 482,455 | +34.8% |
| 2008 | 593,216 | +23.0% |
| 2009 | 661,000 | +11.4% |
| 2010 | 987,448 | +49.4% |
| 2011 | 1.23 million | +24.8% |
| 2012 | 1.54 million | +25.4% |
| 2013 | 1.79 million | +15.9% |
| 2014 | 2.14 million | +19.5% |
| 2015 | 2.14 million | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 2.28 million | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 2.38 million | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 1.58 million | -33.5% |
| 2019 | 1.68 million | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 1.56 million | -7.1% |
| 2021 | 1.82 million | +16.6% |
| 2022 | 1.56 million | -14.5% |
| 2023 | 1.60 million | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 1.64 million | +2.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.64 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.17 million, 14% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.64 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.69 million, 12% of the median. (48 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 | 2,659 | 0 | 12,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 288,309 | 21,600 | 661,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.78 million | 987,448 | 2.38 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.64 million | 1.56 million | 1.82 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More infrastructure data for Lesotho
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 70.33 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 7,980 (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.3414 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0034 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate 8.69 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 7,980 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.7033 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 1.64 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Lesotho?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Lesotho was 1.64 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.38 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Lesotho ranks 156th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.