Mobile phone subscriptions in Bulgaria

Bulgaria: Mobile phone subscriptions was 7.98 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
7.98 million
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
102nd
of 212 countries
All-time high
10.78 million
in 2012
All-time low
0
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Mobile phone subscriptions in Bulgaria, 1980–2024

02.5M5.0M7.5M10.0M1980200220241980: 01981: 01982: 01983: 01984: 01985: 01986: 01987: 01988: 01989: 01990: 01991: 01992: 01993: 1.0k1994: 6.5k1995: 20.9k1996: 26.6k1997: 70.0k1998: 127.0k1999: 350.0k2000: 738.0k2001: 1.6M2002: 2.6M2003: 3.5M2004: 4.7M2005: 6.2M2006: 8.3M2007: 9.9M2008: 10.4M2009: 10.5M2010: 10.2M2011: 10.5M2012: 10.8M2013: 10.5M2014: 9.5M2015: 9.2M2016: 9.0M2017: 8.5M2018: 8.4M2019: 8.1M2020: 7.9M2021: 7.9M2022: 8.0M2023: 8.0M2024: 8.0M

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Bulgaria recorded 7.98 million for mobile phone subscriptions in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile phone subscriptions in Bulgaria peaked at 10.78 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1980.

That places Bulgaria 102nd out of 212 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 60,201 0 350,000 10
2000s 5.84 million 738,000 10.45 million 10
2010s 9.47 million 8.13 million 10.78 million 10
2020s 7.96 million 7.90 million 8.01 million 5

Countries ranked near Bulgaria

  1. 99 Kuwait 8.11 million compare
  2. 100 Jordan 8.05 million compare
  3. 101 Cuba 8.01 million compare
  4. 103 Tajikistan 7.92 million compare
  5. 104 Kyrgyzstan 7.72 million compare
  6. 105 Slovakia 7.71 million compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More science & technology data for Bulgaria

All data for Bulgaria →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile phone subscriptions in Bulgaria?
Mobile phone subscriptions in Bulgaria was 7.98 million in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest mobile phone subscriptions recorded in Bulgaria?
The highest recorded value was 10.78 million in 2012.
What is the lowest mobile phone subscriptions recorded in Bulgaria?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1980.
How does Bulgaria rank for mobile phone subscriptions?
Bulgaria ranks 102nd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is mobile phone subscriptions rising or falling in Bulgaria?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Bulgaria data come from?
The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Mobile phone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Mobile phone subscriptions
Source
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 9,009 data points, 1980–2024
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