Mobile cellular subscriptions in India

India: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 1.15 billion in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
1.15 billion
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
2nd
of 213 countries
All-time high
1.18 billion
in 2018
All-time low
0
in 1960
Years of data
53
1960–2024

Mobile cellular subscriptions in India, 1960–2024

0250.0M500.0M750.0M1.0B1.2B196019922024

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Analysis

In 2024, mobile cellular subscriptions in India stood at 1.15 billion.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 22.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in India peaked at 1.18 billion in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.

That places India 2nd 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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0 0 0 2
1970s 0 0 0 6
1980s 0 0 0 10
1990s 436,620 0 1.88 million 10
2000s 147.08 million 3.58 million 525.09 million 10
2010s 996.64 million 752.19 million 1.18 billion 10
2020s 1.15 billion 1.14 billion 1.16 billion 5

Countries ranked near India

  1. 1 China 1.87 billion compare
  2. 3 United States 390.99 million compare
  3. 4 Indonesia 347.31 million compare
  4. 5 Russia 269.52 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in India?
Mobile cellular subscriptions in India was 1.15 billion in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 1.18 billion in 2018.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
How does India rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
India ranks 2nd out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this India 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

Indicator
Mobile cellular subscriptions
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
260 places, 13,039 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.