China vs Malaysia: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone
China
98.4%
in 2025
Malaysia
98.3%
in 2024
China rank
19th
Malaysia rank
20th
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone over time
- China
- Malaysia
How they compare
China currently reports 98.4% against 98.3% in Malaysia, a difference of 0.1%.
Across all 6 years both countries report, Malaysia has been ahead every year.
China ranks 19th and Malaysia ranks 20th of 182 countries.
Malaysia has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 84.4% | 95.7% | 11.3% | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 91.3% | 97.7% | 6.4% | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population that owns a mobile phone, China or Malaysia?
- China, at 98.4% against 98.3% in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in share of the population that owns a mobile phone between China and Malaysia?
- 0.1%, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Malaysia?
- 6 years are reported by both, from 2019 to 2024.
- How do China and Malaysia rank globally for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- China ranks 19th and Malaysia ranks 20th of 182 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of the population that owns a mobile phone. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).