What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan?

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan was 178.43 per 100 people in 2023, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Japan?

The highest recorded value was 178.43 per 100 people in 2023.

What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Japan?

The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.

How does Japan rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?

Japan ranks 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.

Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is up 54.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Japan data come from?

The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan

Name: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan
Creator: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Japan: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 178.43 per 100 people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)

178.43 per 100 people

Change on year

up 5.8%

World rank

11th

of 213 countries

All-time high

178.43 per 100 people

in 2023

All-time low

0 per 100 people

in 1960

Years of data

1960–2023

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan, 1960–2023

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Measured in per 100 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan is 178.43 per 100 people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.8% on the previous year and up 54.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan peaked at 178.43 per 100 people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 per 100 people, in 1960.

That places Japan 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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 per 100 people	0 per 100 people	0 per 100 people	2
1970s	0 per 100 people	0 per 100 people	0 per 100 people	6
1980s	0.0932 per 100 people	0 per 100 people	0.3971 per 100 people	10
1990s	15.18 per 100 people	0.7018 per 100 people	44.92 per 100 people	10
2000s	72.85 per 100 people	52.57 per 100 people	90.72 per 100 people	10
2010s	123.2 per 100 people	96.18 per 100 people	147.21 per 100 people	10
2020s	165.25 per 100 people	154.43 per 100 people	178.43 per 100 people	4

Countries ranked near Japan

8 Russia 186.1 per 100 people compare
9 Cote d'Ivoire 183.88 per 100 people compare
10 South Africa 179.34 per 100 people compare
12 Israel 177.39 per 100 people compare
13 El Salvador 176.52 per 100 people compare
14 Colombia 174.09 per 100 people compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for Japan

Fixed telephone subscriptions 47.7 per 100 people (2023)
Fixed telephone subscriptions 59.33 million (2023)
Mobile cellular subscriptions 221.92 million (2023)
Air transport, passengers carried 120.31 million (2023)
Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 975,616 (2023)
Air transport, freight 8,474 million ton-km (2023)
Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 430 billion cubic meters (2022)
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 3,437 cubic meters (2022)
Individuals using the Internet 85.5% (2024)
Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 17.0% (2022)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan?: Mobile cellular subscriptions in Japan was 178.43 per 100 people in 2023, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Japan?: The highest recorded value was 178.43 per 100 people in 2023.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.
How does Japan rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?: Japan ranks 11th out of 213 countries with data for 2023.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is up 54.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan data come from?: The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)
Unit: per 100 people
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 260 places, 13,015 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.