Mobile cellular subscriptions in Nigeria

Nigeria: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 164.65 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
164.65 million
Change on year
down 26.6%
World rank
10th
of 213 countries
All-time high
224.41 million
in 2023
All-time low
0
in 1960
Years of data
53
1960–2024

Mobile cellular subscriptions in Nigeria, 1960–2024

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M196019922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, mobile cellular subscriptions in Nigeria stood at 164.65 million.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 26.6% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Nigeria peaked at 224.41 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.

That places Nigeria 10th 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 10,885 0 25,000 10
2000s 24.30 million 30,000 74.52 million 10
2010s 136.89 million 87.30 million 184.59 million 10
2020s 202.13 million 164.65 million 224.41 million 5

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 7 Brazil 216.08 million compare
  2. 8 Pakistan 193.11 million compare
  3. 9 Bangladesh 187.58 million compare
  4. 11 Iran 159.39 million compare
  5. 12 Mexico 152.44 million compare
  6. 13 Philippines 133.57 million compare

See the full ranking of 260 places →

More infrastructure data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Nigeria?
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Nigeria was 164.65 million in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 224.41 million in 2023.
What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
How does Nigeria rank for mobile cellular subscriptions?
Nigeria ranks 10th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Nigeria 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.