South Korea vs United Kingdom: Mobile phone subscriptions

South Korea
89.22 million
in 2024
United Kingdom
84.10 million
in 2024
South Korea rank
21st
United Kingdom rank
24th

Mobile phone subscriptions over time

  • South Korea
  • United Kingdom
020.0M40.0M60.0M80.0M198020022024

How they compare

South Korea currently reports 89.22 million against 84.10 million in United Kingdom, a difference of 5.12 million.

That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times United Kingdom's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 43 shared years of data; in 1980 it was United Kingdom ahead.

South Korea ranks 21st and United Kingdom ranks 24th of 212 countries.

United Kingdom has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Korea United Kingdom Difference Ahead
1980s 9,677 244,375 234,698 United Kingdom
1990s 5.11 million 7.40 million 2.29 million United Kingdom
2000s 37.48 million 61.37 million 23.89 million United Kingdom
2010s 58.80 million 78.62 million 19.82 million United Kingdom
2020s 78.70 million 81.78 million 3.09 million United Kingdom

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile phone subscriptions, South Korea or United Kingdom?
South Korea, at 89.22 million against 84.10 million in United Kingdom as of 2024.
What is the difference in mobile phone subscriptions between South Korea and United Kingdom?
5.12 million, with South Korea ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United Kingdom?
43 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2024.
How do South Korea and United Kingdom rank globally for mobile phone subscriptions?
South Korea ranks 21st and United Kingdom ranks 24th of 212 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Mobile phone subscriptions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Mobile phone subscriptions
Source
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 9,009 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed