Libya vs South Africa: Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people

Libya
192.97 per 100 people
in 2022
South Africa
179.34 per 100 people
in 2024
Libya rank
7th
South Africa rank
10th

Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people over time

  • Libya
  • South Africa
050100150200198020022024

How they compare

Libya currently reports 192.97 per 100 people against 179.34 per 100 people in South Africa, a difference of 13.63 per 100 people.

That makes Libya's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 42 shared years of data; in 1980 it was South Africa ahead.

Libya ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 10th of 212 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Libya averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Libya South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 0 per 100 people 0.001 per 100 people 0.001 per 100 people South Africa
1990s 0.1199 per 100 people 2.68 per 100 people 2.56 per 100 people South Africa
2000s 45.55 per 100 people 55.57 per 100 people 10.01 per 100 people South Africa
2010s 143.68 per 100 people 138.08 per 100 people 5.61 per 100 people Libya
2020s 184.36 per 100 people 160.77 per 100 people 23.59 per 100 people Libya

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people, Libya or South Africa?
Libya, at 192.97 per 100 people against 179.34 per 100 people in South Africa as of 2022.
What is the difference in mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people between Libya and South Africa?
13.63 per 100 people, with Libya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Libya and South Africa?
42 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2022.
How do Libya and South Africa rank globally for mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people?
Libya ranks 7th and South Africa ranks 10th 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 per 100 people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people
Unit
per 100 people
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, 8,985 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

This number can get over 100 when the average person has more than one subscription to a mobile service.