Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in South Africa
South Africa: Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex was 87.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
87.0%
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
98th
of 185 countries
All-time high
98.4%
in 2015
All-time low
53.7%
in 2016
Years of data
10
2015–2024
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in South Africa, 2015–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 87.0% for proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in South Africa peaked at 98.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 53.7%, in 2016.
That places South Africa 98th out of 185 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 98.4% | — |
| 2016 | 53.7% | -45.4% |
| 2017 | 59.6% | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 79.6% | +33.6% |
| 2019 | 78.1% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 83.4% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 88.9% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 86.6% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 88.0% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 87.0% | -1.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 87.0% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 87.3%, 100% of the median. (51 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 87.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 68.2%, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 73.9% | 53.7% | 98.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 86.8% | 83.4% | 88.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
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 proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in South Africa?
- Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex in South Africa was 87.0% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.7% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex?
- South Africa ranks 98th out of 185 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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