Mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu
Tuvalu: Mobile phone subscriptions was 9,878 in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu, 1980–2022
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu stood at 9,878. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
The figure is up 9.8% on the previous year and up 252.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu peaked at 9,878 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1980.
That places Tuvalu 211th out of 212 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | — |
| 1983 | 0 | — |
| 1984 | 0 | — |
| 1985 | 0 | — |
| 1986 | 0 | — |
| 1987 | 0 | — |
| 1988 | 0 | — |
| 1989 | 0 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | — |
| 1991 | 0 | — |
| 1992 | 0 | — |
| 1993 | 0 | — |
| 1994 | 0 | — |
| 1995 | 0 | — |
| 1996 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 0 | — |
| 1999 | 0 | — |
| 2000 | 0 | — |
| 2001 | 0 | — |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 500 | — |
| 2005 | 1,300 | +160.0% |
| 2006 | 1,600 | +23.1% |
| 2007 | 1,800 | +12.5% |
| 2009 | 1,000 | -44.4% |
| 2010 | 1,600 | +60.0% |
| 2011 | 2,130 | +33.1% |
| 2012 | 2,800 | +31.5% |
| 2013 | 3,400 | +21.4% |
| 2014 | 3,800 | +11.8% |
| 2015 | 6,600 | +73.7% |
| 2016 | 7,600 | +15.2% |
| 2017 | 8,000 | +5.3% |
| 2018 | 8,500 | +6.2% |
| 2019 | 9,000 | +5.9% |
| 2020 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9,000 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 9,878 | +9.8% |
Tuvalu compared with similar countries
- Tuvalu's 9,878 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 8.03 million, 0% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Tuvalu's 9,878 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.10 million, 0% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +160.0% | 500 | 1,300 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2000s | 688.89 | 0 | 1,800 | 9 |
| 2010s | 5,343 | 1,600 | 9,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 9,293 | 9,000 | 9,878 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Tuvalu
- 208 Northern Mariana Islands 20,474 compare
- 209 Marshall Islands 15,913 compare
- 210 Nauru 10,287 compare
- 212 American Samoa 2,250 compare
More science & technology data for Tuvalu
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 98.86 (2022)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.9886 units per person (2022)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 9,878 (2022)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 329.27 units per square kilometre (2022)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 11.97 % change on previous year (2022)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 9.76 % change on previous year (2022)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 0.42 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu?
- Mobile phone subscriptions in Tuvalu was 9,878 in 2022, 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 Tuvalu?
- The highest recorded value was 9,878 in 2022.
- What is the lowest mobile phone subscriptions recorded in Tuvalu?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1980.
- How does Tuvalu rank for mobile phone subscriptions?
- Tuvalu ranks 211th out of 212 countries with data for 2022.
- Is mobile phone subscriptions rising or falling in Tuvalu?
- Over the last ten years it is up 252.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Tuvalu 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.
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CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).