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

North Africa
1,160 per 1,000 people
in 2011
South Africa
1,347 per 1,000 people
in 2011
North Africa rank
1st
South Africa rank
4th

Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers over time

  • North Africa
  • South Africa
05001.0k1.5k196019852011

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 1,347 per 1,000 people against 1,160 per 1,000 people in North Africa, a difference of 187 per 1,000 people.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.2 times North Africa's.

Across all 38 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.

North Africa ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 4th of 6 groups.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade North Africa South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 7.4 per 1,000 people 37.37 per 1,000 people 29.96 per 1,000 people South Africa
1970s 8.85 per 1,000 people 49.44 per 1,000 people 40.59 per 1,000 people South Africa
1980s 18.43 per 1,000 people 75.34 per 1,000 people 56.91 per 1,000 people South Africa
1990s 45.38 per 1,000 people 134.34 per 1,000 people 88.96 per 1,000 people South Africa
2000s 422.73 per 1,000 people 684.05 per 1,000 people 261.32 per 1,000 people South Africa
2010s 1,110 per 1,000 people 1,219 per 1,000 people 109.22 per 1,000 people South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers, North Africa or South Africa?
South Africa, at 1,347 per 1,000 people against 1,160 per 1,000 people in North Africa as of 2011.
What is the difference in telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers between North Africa and South Africa?
187 per 1,000 people, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for North Africa and South Africa?
38 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2011.
How do North Africa and South Africa rank globally for telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers?
North Africa ranks 1st and South Africa ranks 4th of 6 groups.
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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North Africa 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 10 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/telephone-mainlines-and-mobile-phone-subscribers-per-1-000-people/north-africa/south-africa/

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<a href="https://science-tech.statizoid.com/compare/telephone-mainlines-and-mobile-phone-subscribers-per-1-000-people/north-africa/south-africa/">North Africa vs South Africa: Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers</a> — Statizoid

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.