Botswana vs South Africa: Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers

Botswana
1,502 per 1,000 people
in 2011
South Africa
1,347 per 1,000 people
in 2011
Botswana rank
3rd
South Africa rank
4th

Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers over time

  • Botswana
  • South Africa
05001.0k1.5k196019852011

How they compare

Botswana currently reports 1,502 per 1,000 people against 1,347 per 1,000 people in South Africa, a difference of 155 per 1,000 people.

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

The two have swapped places 1 time across 40 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Africa ahead.

Botswana ranks 3rd and South Africa ranks 4th of 53 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Botswana South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 1.39 per 1,000 people 37.72 per 1,000 people 36.33 per 1,000 people South Africa
1970s 5.69 per 1,000 people 49.44 per 1,000 people 43.75 per 1,000 people South Africa
1980s 10.07 per 1,000 people 73.73 per 1,000 people 63.66 per 1,000 people South Africa
1990s 45.6 per 1,000 people 134.34 per 1,000 people 88.74 per 1,000 people South Africa
2000s 479.93 per 1,000 people 684.05 per 1,000 people 204.12 per 1,000 people South Africa
2010s 1,374 per 1,000 people 1,219 per 1,000 people 154.53 per 1,000 people Botswana

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers, Botswana or South Africa?
Botswana, at 1,502 per 1,000 people against 1,347 per 1,000 people in South Africa as of 2011.
What is the difference in telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers between Botswana and South Africa?
155 per 1,000 people, with Botswana ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
40 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2011.
How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers?
Botswana ranks 3rd and South Africa ranks 4th of 53 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates, published as Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers (per 1,000 people). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Botswana vs South Africa: Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/telephone-mainlines-and-mobile-phone-subscribers-per-1-000-people/botswana/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers (per 1,000 people)
Unit
per 1,000 people
Source
International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,189 data points, 1960–2011
Last refreshed

Please cite the International Telecommunication Union for third-party use of these data. Fixed lines are telephone mainlines connecting a customer's equipment to the public switched telephone network. Mobile phone subscribers refer to users of portable telephones subscribing to an automatic public mobile telephone service using cellular technology that provides access to the public switched telephone network.