North Africa vs South Africa: Public payphones

North Africa
257,796
in 2009
South Africa
158,000
in 2007
North Africa rank
4th
South Africa rank
3rd

Public payphones over time

  • North Africa
  • South Africa
0100.0k200.0k300.0k400.0k500.0k198519972009

How they compare

North Africa currently reports 257,796 against 158,000 in South Africa, a difference of 99,796.

That makes North Africa's figure about 1.6 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 19 shared years of data; in 1987 it was South Africa ahead.

North Africa ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 3rd of 6 groups.

Across the 3 decades both report, North Africa averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade North Africa South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 3,939 38,308 34,369 South Africa
1990s 34,203 85,926 51,723 South Africa
2000s 291,262 172,439 118,823 North Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher public payphones, North Africa or South Africa?
North Africa, at 257,796 against 158,000 in South Africa as of 2009.
What is the difference in public payphones between North Africa and South Africa?
99,796, with North Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Africa and South Africa?
19 years are reported by both, from 1987 to 2007.
How do North Africa and South Africa rank globally for public payphones?
North Africa ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 3rd of 6 groups.
Where does this data come from?
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates, published as Public payphones. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

North Africa vs South Africa: Public payphones. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/public-payphones/north-africa/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/public-payphones/north-africa/south-africa/">North Africa vs South Africa: Public payphones</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Public payphones
Source
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
57 places, 943 data points, 1960–2011
Last refreshed

Please cite the International Telecommunication Union for third-party use of these data. Total number of all types of public telephones, including coin- and card-operated and public telephones in call offices. Publicly available phones installed in private places should also be included, as should mobile public telephones. All public telephones regardless of capability (e.g., local calls or national only) should be counted. If the national definition of "payphone" differs from that above (e.g., by excluding pay phones in private places), then respondents should indicate their own definition.