Mobile cellular subscriptions in Namibia
Namibia: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 2.58 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Namibia, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
The most recent figure for mobile cellular subscriptions in Namibia is 2.58 million, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Namibia peaked at 2.92 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
That places Namibia 144th 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 Namibia, 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 | 3,500 | — |
| 1996 | 6,644 | +89.8% |
| 1997 | 12,500 | +88.1% |
| 1998 | 19,500 | +56.0% |
| 1999 | 30,000 | +53.8% |
| 2000 | 82,000 | +173.3% |
| 2001 | 106,600 | +30.0% |
| 2002 | 150,000 | +40.7% |
| 2003 | 223,671 | +49.1% |
| 2004 | 286,095 | +27.9% |
| 2005 | 448,857 | +56.9% |
| 2006 | 608,846 | +35.6% |
| 2007 | 800,270 | +31.4% |
| 2008 | 1.05 million | +31.5% |
| 2009 | 1.63 million | +55.1% |
| 2010 | 1.95 million | +19.5% |
| 2011 | 2.19 million | +12.5% |
| 2012 | 2.15 million | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 2.73 million | +27.1% |
| 2014 | 2.67 million | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 2.55 million | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 2.66 million | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 2.68 million | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 2.76 million | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 2.82 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.90 million | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 2.92 million | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 2.91 million | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 2.60 million | -10.6% |
| 2024 | 2.58 million | -0.7% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 2.58 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.17 million, 21% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 2.58 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.69 million, 19% 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 | 7,214 | 0 | 30,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 538,992 | 82,000 | 1.63 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.52 million | 1.95 million | 2.82 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.78 million | 2.58 million | 2.92 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More infrastructure data for Namibia
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 85.16 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 77,390 (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 2.55 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0255 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -4.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 77,390 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.8517 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 2.58 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Namibia?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Namibia was 2.58 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.92 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Namibia rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Namibia ranks 144th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Namibia 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.