Mobile phone subscriptions in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Mobile phone subscriptions was 15.68 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
15.68 million
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
73rd
of 212 countries
All-time high
15.68 million
in 2024
All-time low
0
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Mobile phone subscriptions in Zimbabwe, 1980–2024

05.0M10.0M15.0M1980200220241980: 01981: 01982: 01983: 01984: 01985: 01986: 01987: 01988: 01989: 01990: 01991: 01992: 01993: 01994: 01995: 01996: 01997: 5.7k1998: 19.0k1999: 174.0k2000: 266.4k2001: 314.0k2002: 338.8k2003: 363.7k2004: 425.7k2005: 647.1k2006: 849.1k2007: 1.2M2008: 1.7M2009: 4.0M2010: 7.7M2011: 9.2M2012: 12.6M2013: 13.6M2014: 11.8M2015: 12.8M2016: 12.9M2017: 14.1M2018: 12.9M2019: 13.2M2020: 13.2M2021: 14.3M2022: 14.3M2023: 15.0M2024: 15.7M

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

Analysis

Zimbabwe recorded 15.68 million for mobile phone subscriptions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

The figure is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 32.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile phone subscriptions in Zimbabwe peaked at 15.68 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1980.

That places Zimbabwe 73rd 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 19,873 0 174,000 10
2000s 1.01 million 266,441 3.99 million 10
2010s 12.08 million 7.70 million 14.09 million 10
2020s 14.48 million 13.19 million 15.68 million 5

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 70 Mozambique 17.14 million compare
  2. 71 Israel 16.65 million compare
  3. 72 Niger 16.38 million compare
  4. 74 Malawi 15.00 million compare
  5. 75 Sweden 14.92 million compare
  6. 76 Chad 14.80 million compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More science & technology data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile phone subscriptions in Zimbabwe?
Mobile phone subscriptions in Zimbabwe was 15.68 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 Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 15.68 million in 2024.
What is the lowest mobile phone subscriptions recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1980.
How does Zimbabwe rank for mobile phone subscriptions?
Zimbabwe ranks 73rd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is mobile phone subscriptions rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is up 32.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Zimbabwe 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
Last refreshed