Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Mobile cellular subscriptions was 1.10 billion in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 1960–2025
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 1.10 billion for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2025. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
The figure is up 3.3% on the previous year and up 46.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 1.10 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 23rd of 47 groups 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (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 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 3,980 | — |
| 1990 | 7,880 | +98.0% |
| 1991 | 9,600 | +21.8% |
| 1992 | 17,406 | +81.3% |
| 1993 | 59,142 | +239.8% |
| 1994 | 372,608 | +530.0% |
| 1995 | 601,656 | +61.5% |
| 1996 | 1.08 million | +79.9% |
| 1997 | 2.09 million | +92.7% |
| 1998 | 3.87 million | +85.4% |
| 1999 | 6.45 million | +66.8% |
| 2000 | 11.42 million | +77.0% |
| 2001 | 17.01 million | +49.0% |
| 2002 | 25.05 million | +47.3% |
| 2003 | 35.64 million | +42.2% |
| 2004 | 54.16 million | +52.0% |
| 2005 | 90.31 million | +66.8% |
| 2006 | 135.16 million | +49.7% |
| 2007 | 184.75 million | +36.7% |
| 2008 | 261.04 million | +41.3% |
| 2009 | 316.65 million | +21.3% |
| 2010 | 387.84 million | +22.5% |
| 2011 | 471.60 million | +21.6% |
| 2012 | 544.31 million | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 617.94 million | +13.5% |
| 2014 | 680.83 million | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 751.85 million | +10.4% |
| 2016 | 752.25 million | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 765.04 million | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 771.26 million | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 881.59 million | +14.3% |
| 2020 | 900.00 million | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 931.00 million | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.00 billion | +7.9% |
| 2023 | 1.06 billion | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 1.06 billion | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 1.10 billion | +3.3% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +530.0% | 59,142 | 372,608 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 398 | 0 | 3,980 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.46 million | 7,880 | 6.45 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 113.12 million | 11.42 million | 316.65 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 662.45 million | 387.84 million | 881.59 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 billion | 900.00 million | 1.10 billion | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 92.7 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 4.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.003 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -20 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 4.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.8324 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 1.10 billion (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 1.10 billion in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.10 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 23rd out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 46.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (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.