Share of the population within range of a 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile network in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population within range of a 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile network was 99.9% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
99.9%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
63rd
of 212 countries
All-time high
100.0%
in 2020
All-time low
92.0%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Share of the population within range of a 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile network in South Africa, 2000–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network in South Africa is 99.9%, measured in 2024.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network in South Africa peaked at 100.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 92.0%, in 2000.
South Africa ranks 63rd of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Share of the population within range of a 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile network in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 92.0% | — |
| 2001 | 93.0% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 95.1% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 96.0% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 96.0% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 96.0% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 97.1% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 99.8% | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 99.8% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 99.9% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 99.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 100.0% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 100.0% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 100.0% | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 100.0% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 99.9% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 99.9% | +0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 99.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 99.5%, 1.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 99.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 96.9%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 96.5% | 92.0% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.8% | 99.6% | 100.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 99.9% | 99.9% | 100.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 61 Germany 100.0% compare
- 62 North Macedonia 99.9% compare
- 63 Belarus 99.9% compare
- 63 Czechia 99.9% compare
- 63 Georgia 99.9% compare
- 63 Greece 99.9% compare
- 63 Ireland 99.9% compare
- 63 Japan 99.9% compare
- 63 Jordan 99.9% compare
- 63 Macao 99.9% compare
- 63 Slovenia 99.9% compare
- 63 South Korea 99.9% compare
- 63 Turkey 99.9% compare
- 63 Ukraine 99.9% compare
- 63 United Kingdom 99.9% compare
- 63 Vietnam 99.9% compare
More science & technology data for South Africa
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 179.34 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.79 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 89.37 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 14,949 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0002 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network in South Africa?
- Share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network in South Africa was 99.9% in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 100.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 92.0% in 2000.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network?
- South Africa ranks 63rd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population within range of a 2g, 3g, 4g, or 5g mobile network rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population within range of a 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G mobile network. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of population covered by at least a 2G mobile network (%).