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Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi

Malawi: Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people was 69.26 per 100 people in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
69.26 per 100 people
Change on year
up 13.4%
World rank
183rd
of 212 countries
All-time high
69.26 per 100 people
in 2024
All-time low
0 per 100 people
in 1980
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi, 1980–2024

02040601980200220241980: 0 per 100 people1981: 0 per 100 people1982: 0 per 100 people1983: 0 per 100 people1984: 0 per 100 people1985: 0 per 100 people1986: 0 per 100 people1987: 0 per 100 people1988: 0 per 100 people1989: 0 per 100 people1990: 0 per 100 people1991: 0 per 100 people1992: 0 per 100 people1993: 0 per 100 people1994: 0 per 100 people1995: 0.004 per 100 people1996: 0.036 per 100 people1997: 0.067 per 100 people1998: 0.098 per 100 people1999: 0.205 per 100 people2000: 0.433 per 100 people2001: 0.481 per 100 people2002: 0.724 per 100 people2003: 1.1 per 100 people2004: 1.8 per 100 people2005: 3.3 per 100 people2006: 4.7 per 100 people2007: 7.7 per 100 people2008: 10.8 per 100 people2009: 17.3 per 100 people2010: 21 per 100 people2011: 25.9 per 100 people2012: 29.6 per 100 people2013: 32.7 per 100 people2014: 33.9 per 100 people2015: 38.4 per 100 people2016: 40.9 per 100 people2017: 43.1 per 100 people2018: 38.2 per 100 people2019: 46.8 per 100 people2020: 51.2 per 100 people2021: 59.6 per 100 people2022: 59.6 per 100 people2023: 61.1 per 100 people2024: 69.3 per 100 people

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 100 people.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 69.26 per 100 people for mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of up 13.4% on the previous year and up 104.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi peaked at 69.26 per 100 people in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 per 100 people, in 1980.

Malawi ranks 183rd of 212 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi, year by year

Year per 100 people Change
1980 0 per 100 people —
1981 0 per 100 people —
1982 0 per 100 people —
1983 0 per 100 people —
1984 0 per 100 people —
1985 0 per 100 people —
1986 0 per 100 people —
1987 0 per 100 people —
1988 0 per 100 people —
1989 0 per 100 people —
1990 0 per 100 people —
1991 0 per 100 people —
1992 0 per 100 people —
1993 0 per 100 people —
1994 0 per 100 people —
1995 0.0038 per 100 people —
1996 0.0359 per 100 people +850.0%
1997 0.0666 per 100 people +85.6%
1998 0.0978 per 100 people +46.9%
1999 0.205 per 100 people +109.6%
2000 0.433 per 100 people +111.2%
2001 0.4807 per 100 people +11.0%
2002 0.7243 per 100 people +50.7%
2003 1.11 per 100 people +53.1%
2004 1.78 per 100 people +60.2%
2005 3.28 per 100 people +84.6%
2006 4.7 per 100 people +43.2%
2007 7.74 per 100 people +64.7%
2008 10.79 per 100 people +39.4%
2009 17.27 per 100 people +60.1%
2010 21.03 per 100 people +21.8%
2011 25.89 per 100 people +23.1%
2012 29.58 per 100 people +14.3%
2013 32.73 per 100 people +10.7%
2014 33.89 per 100 people +3.5%
2015 38.43 per 100 people +13.4%
2016 40.88 per 100 people +6.4%
2017 43.09 per 100 people +5.4%
2018 38.2 per 100 people -11.3%
2019 46.78 per 100 people +22.5%
2020 51.22 per 100 people +9.5%
2021 59.56 per 100 people +16.3%
2022 59.65 per 100 people +0.2%
2023 61.09 per 100 people +2.4%
2024 69.26 per 100 people +13.4%

Malawi compared with similar countries

  • Malawi's 69.26 per 100 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 65.08 per 100 people, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Malawi's 69.26 per 100 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 93.72 per 100 people, 74% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi 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.

YearChange FromTo
1996 +850.0% 0.0038 per 100 people 0.0359 per 100 people

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 10
1990s 0.0409 per 100 people 0 per 100 people 0.205 per 100 people 10
2000s 4.83 per 100 people 0.433 per 100 people 17.27 per 100 people 10
2010s 35.05 per 100 people 21.03 per 100 people 46.78 per 100 people 10
2020s 60.15 per 100 people 51.22 per 100 people 69.26 per 100 people 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 180 Sudan 70.21 per 100 people compare
  2. 181 Angola 69.7 per 100 people compare
  3. 182 Jordan 69.64 per 100 people compare
  4. 184 Belize 67.17 per 100 people compare
  5. 185 Haiti 65.19 per 100 people compare
  6. 186 Ethiopia 65.08 per 100 people compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More science & technology data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi?
Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi was 69.26 per 100 people 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 per 100 people recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 69.26 per 100 people in 2024.
What is the lowest mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 0 per 100 people in 1980.
How does Malawi rank for mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people?
Malawi ranks 183rd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is up 104.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Malawi 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 per 100 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in Malawi. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/mobile-cellular-subscriptions-per-100-people-2/malawi/

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About this data

Indicator
Mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people
Unit
per 100 people
Source
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 8,985 data points, 1980–2024
Last refreshed

This number can get over 100 when the average person has more than one subscription to a mobile service.