Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Mobile cellular subscriptions was 1.20 billion in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2025
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 1.20 billion for mobile cellular subscriptions in 2025. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.9% on the previous year and up 59.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 1.20 billion in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1960.
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 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1970s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1980s | 398 | 0 | 3,980 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.46 million | 7,880 | 6.47 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 113.18 million | 11.45 million | 316.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 668.05 million | 387.95 million | 881.80 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.08 billion | 944.00 million | 1.20 billion | 6 |
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 0.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Air transport, passengers carried 56.96 million (2023)
- Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide 717,259 (2023)
- Air transport, freight 4,829 million ton-km (2023)
- Renewable internal freshwater resources, total 3,884 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita 3,162 cubic meters (2022)
- Individuals using the Internet 35.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, domestic 13.9% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Mobile cellular subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.20 billion in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.20 billion in 2025.
- What is the lowest mobile cellular subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1960.
- Is mobile cellular subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa 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 — 54 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.