Mobile cellular subscriptions in South Korea
South Korea: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 172.52 per 100 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in South Korea, 1960–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Measured in per 100 people.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 172.52 per 100 people for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.4% on the previous year and up 52.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in South Korea peaked at 172.52 per 100 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 per 100 people, in 1960.
That places South Korea 17th out of 213 countries with data for 2024, 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 | 0.0225 per 100 people | 0 per 100 people | 0.0912 per 100 people | 8 |
| 1990s | 11.06 per 100 people | 0.1813 per 100 people | 50.39 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.39 per 100 people | 57.34 per 100 people | 98.76 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 116.2 per 100 people | 104.1 per 100 people | 133.08 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 151.96 per 100 people | 135.97 per 100 people | 172.52 per 100 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More infrastructure data for South Korea
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 41.17 per 100 people (2024)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 21.29 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 89.22 million (2024)
- Air transport, passengers carried 76.27 million (2023)
- Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 459,735 (2023)
- Air transport, freight 12,294 million ton-km (2023)
- Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 64.85 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 1,255 cubic meters (2022)
- Individuals using the Internet 97.9% (2024)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 24.6% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in South Korea?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in South Korea was 172.52 per 100 people in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 172.52 per 100 people in 2024.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1960.
- How does South Korea rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
- South Korea ranks 17th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea 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 — 51 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.