Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income

Middle income: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 6.20 billion in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
6.20 billion
Change on year
down 1.1%
Rank
4th
of 47 groups
All-time high
6.27 billion
in 2021
All-time low
0
in 1960
Years of data
51
1960–2022

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income, 1960–2022

02.0B4.0B6.0B196019912022

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

Analysis

Middle income recorded 6.20 billion for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2022.

That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 40.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income peaked at 6.27 billion in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.

That places Middle income 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income, year by year

Annual values for Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income, 1960 to 2022.
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 1,750
1985 2,029 +15.9%
1986 16,534 +714.9%
1987 38,326 +131.8%
1988 71,973 +87.8%
1989 137,429 +90.9%
1990 318,575 +131.8%
1991 649,446 +103.9%
1992 1.27 million +95.3%
1993 2.51 million +98.2%
1994 5.43 million +116.0%
1995 11.08 million +104.2%
1996 19.92 million +79.7%
1997 36.48 million +83.1%
1998 59.10 million +62.0%
1999 106.93 million +80.9%
2000 196.92 million +84.2%
2001 311.32 million +58.1%
2002 435.76 million +40.0%
2003 590.60 million +35.5%
2004 807.88 million +36.8%
2005 1.10 billion +36.7%
2006 1.50 billion +35.4%
2007 1.96 billion +31.3%
2008 2.50 billion +27.2%
2009 3.00 billion +20.3%
2010 3.59 billion +19.6%
2011 4.13 billion +14.9%
2012 4.43 billion +7.2%
2013 4.75 billion +7.3%
2014 4.99 billion +5.1%
2015 5.11 billion +2.5%
2016 5.42 billion +6.0%
2017 5.66 billion +4.4%
2018 5.84 billion +3.2%
2019 6.09 billion +4.3%
2020 6.12 billion +0.5%
2021 6.27 billion +2.4%
2022 6.20 billion -1.1%

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle 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.

YearChange FromTo
1986 +714.9% 2,029 16,534

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0 0 0 2
1970s 0 0 0 6
1980s 26,804 0 137,429 10
1990s 24.37 million 318,575 106.93 million 10
2000s 1.24 billion 196.92 million 3.00 billion 10
2010s 5.00 billion 3.59 billion 6.09 billion 10
2020s 6.20 billion 6.12 billion 6.27 billion 3

Countries ranked near Middle income

  1. 1 China 1.87 billion compare
  2. 2 India 1.15 billion compare
  3. 3 United States 390.99 million compare
  4. 4 Indonesia 347.31 million compare
  5. 5 Russia 269.52 million compare
  6. 6 Japan 221.92 million compare
  7. 7 Brazil 216.08 million compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More infrastructure data for Middle income

All data for Middle income →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income?
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income was 6.20 billion in 2022, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Middle income?
The highest recorded value was 6.27 billion in 2021.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Middle income?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
How does Middle income rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Middle income ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2022.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Middle income?
Over the last ten years it is up 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Middle 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.

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Mobile cellular subscriptions in Middle income. 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/middle-income/

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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.