Mobile cellular subscriptions in Zambia
Zambia: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 23.17 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Zambia, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Zambia recorded 23.17 million for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.5% on the previous year and up 129.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Zambia peaked at 23.17 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
That places Zambia 59th 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 Zambia, 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 | 1,547 | — |
| 1996 | 2,721 | +75.9% |
| 1997 | 4,550 | +67.2% |
| 1998 | 8,260 | +81.5% |
| 1999 | 28,190 | +241.3% |
| 2000 | 98,853 | +250.7% |
| 2001 | 121,200 | +22.6% |
| 2002 | 139,092 | +14.8% |
| 2003 | 241,000 | +73.3% |
| 2004 | 464,354 | +92.7% |
| 2005 | 949,559 | +104.5% |
| 2006 | 1.66 million | +75.2% |
| 2007 | 2.64 million | +58.7% |
| 2008 | 3.54 million | +34.1% |
| 2009 | 4.41 million | +24.5% |
| 2010 | 5.45 million | +23.6% |
| 2011 | 8.16 million | +49.9% |
| 2012 | 10.52 million | +28.9% |
| 2013 | 10.40 million | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 10.11 million | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 11.56 million | +14.3% |
| 2016 | 12.02 million | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 13.44 million | +11.8% |
| 2018 | 15.47 million | +15.1% |
| 2019 | 17.22 million | +11.3% |
| 2020 | 19.10 million | +10.9% |
| 2021 | 20.25 million | +6.0% |
| 2022 | 19.84 million | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 21.15 million | +6.6% |
| 2024 | 23.17 million | +9.5% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 23.17 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.17 million, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 23.17 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.69 million, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile cellular subscriptions in Zambia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +250.7% | 28,190 | 98,853 |
| 1999 | +241.3% | 8,260 | 28,190 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4,527 | 0 | 28,190 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.43 million | 98,853 | 4.41 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.44 million | 5.45 million | 17.22 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.70 million | 19.10 million | 23.17 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 56 Afghanistan 25.63 million compare
- 57 Madagascar 23.54 million compare
- 58 Netherlands 23.43 million compare
- 60 Senegal 22.92 million compare
- 61 Romania 22.78 million compare
- 62 United Arab Emirates 22.41 million compare
More infrastructure data for Zambia
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 108.7 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 73,688 (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.3457 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0035 units per person (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -9.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 73,688 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 1.09 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0009 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 23.17 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Zambia?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Zambia was 23.17 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.17 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- How does Zambia rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- Zambia ranks 59th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 129.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Zambia 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.