South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers
Telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers over time
- South Africa
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1,347 per 1,000 people against 553.27 per 1,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 793.73 per 1,000 people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 2.4 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 39 years both countries report, South Africa has been ahead every year.
South Africa ranks 4th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd of 53 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 37.37 per 1,000 people | 5.08 per 1,000 people | 32.29 per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 49.44 per 1,000 people | 7.37 per 1,000 people | 42.08 per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 73.73 per 1,000 people | 8.32 per 1,000 people | 65.41 per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 134.34 per 1,000 people | 13.75 per 1,000 people | 120.59 per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 684.05 per 1,000 people | 159.81 per 1,000 people | 524.24 per 1,000 people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1,219 per 1,000 people | 512.85 per 1,000 people | 706.59 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, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- South Africa, at 1,347 per 1,000 people against 553.27 per 1,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2011.
- What is the difference in telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 793.73 per 1,000 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 39 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2011.
- How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for telephone (mainlines and mobile phone) subscribers?
- South Africa ranks 4th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd 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.
Individual pages
About this data
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.