What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?

The highest recorded value was 1.20 billion in 2025.

What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.

How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?

Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 20th out of 48 groups with data for 2025.

Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?

Over the last ten years it is up 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)

Name: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Creator: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Mobile cellular subscriptions was 1.20 billion in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

1.20 billion

Change on year

up 3.9%

Rank

20th

of 48 groups

All-time high

1.20 billion

in 2025

All-time low

in 1960

Years of data

1960–2025

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2025

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

Analysis

In 2025, mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 1.20 billion. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

The figure is up 3.9% on the previous year and up 59.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 1.20 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.

Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 20th of 48 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.

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	6.47 million	10
2000s	113.18 million	11.45 million	316.76 million	10
2010s	668.05 million	387.95 million	881.80 million	10
2020s	1.08 billion	944.00 million	1.20 billion	6

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)

17 Egypt 113.19 million compare
18 Germany 109.20 million compare
19 Turkey 94.32 million compare
20 Colombia 92.07 million compare
21 South Korea 89.22 million compare
22 Tanzania 86.77 million compare
23 Ethiopia 85.95 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)

Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
Air transport, passengers carried 56.96 million (2023)
Air transport, freight 4,829 million ton-km (2023)
Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 717,259 (2023)
Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 3,884 billion cubic meters (2022)
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 3,162 cubic meters (2022)
Individuals using the Internet 35.2% (2025)
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 13.9% (2022)

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 1.20 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 (IDA & IBRD countries)?: The highest recorded value was 1.20 billion in 2025.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?: Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 20th out of 48 groups with data for 2025.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?: Over the last ten years it is up 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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

Indicator: Mobile cellular subscriptions
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 260 places, 13,039 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

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.