Iran vs South Africa: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone
Iran
86.8%
in 2024
South Africa
87.0%
in 2024
Iran rank
95th
South Africa rank
94th
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone over time
- Iran
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 87.0% against 86.8% in Iran, a difference of 0.2%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 10 shared years of data; in 2015 it was South Africa ahead.
Iran ranks 95th and South Africa ranks 94th of 182 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 67.8% | 73.9% | 6.1% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 80.4% | 86.8% | 6.4% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of the population that owns a mobile phone, Iran or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 87.0% against 86.8% in Iran as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of the population that owns a mobile phone between Iran and South Africa?
- 0.2%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Africa?
- 10 years are reported by both, from 2015 to 2024.
- How do Iran and South Africa rank globally for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- Iran ranks 95th and South Africa ranks 94th 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 (%).