Mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor
East Timor: Mobile phone subscriptions was 1.63 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor, 1990–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
East Timor recorded 1.63 million for mobile phone subscriptions in 2024. That is the highest value across all 23 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.5% on the previous year and up 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor peaked at 1.63 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1990.
That places East Timor 157th out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 20,058 | — |
| 2004 | 25,722 | +28.2% |
| 2005 | 33,072 | +28.6% |
| 2006 | 49,100 | +48.5% |
| 2007 | 78,215 | +59.3% |
| 2008 | 125,002 | +59.8% |
| 2009 | 350,891 | +180.7% |
| 2010 | 473,020 | +34.8% |
| 2011 | 614,151 | +29.8% |
| 2012 | 621,000 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 650,000 | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.38 million | +111.7% |
| 2015 | 1.38 million | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.49 million | +8.4% |
| 2017 | 1.56 million | +4.3% |
| 2018 | 1.47 million | -5.7% |
| 2019 | 1.43 million | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 1.38 million | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 1.39 million | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 1.48 million | +6.8% |
| 2023 | 1.56 million | +5.3% |
| 2024 | 1.63 million | +4.5% |
East Timor compared with similar countries
- East Timor's 1.63 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.17 million, 13% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- East Timor's 1.63 million is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.10 million, 40% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | +180.7% | 125,002 | 350,891 |
| 2014 | +111.7% | 650,000 | 1.38 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2000s | 97,437 | 20,058 | 350,891 | 7 |
| 2010s | 1.11 million | 473,020 | 1.56 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.49 million | 1.38 million | 1.63 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near East Timor
More science & technology data for East Timor
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 116.38 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.16 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0009 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 1.63 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 104.87 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 3.32 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 4.54 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 20.7 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor?
- Mobile phone subscriptions in East Timor was 1.63 million in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest mobile phone subscriptions recorded in East Timor?
- The highest recorded value was 1.63 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest mobile phone subscriptions recorded in East Timor?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1990.
- How does East Timor rank for mobile phone subscriptions?
- East Timor ranks 157th out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mobile phone subscriptions rising or falling in East Timor?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this East Timor data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Mobile phone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).