Proportion of population covered by at least a 3G mobile network in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Proportion of population covered by at least a 3G mobile network was 88.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Proportion of population covered by at least a 3G mobile network in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2015–2025
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 88.7% for proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network in 2025. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 76.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 88.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 50.4%, in 2015.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 32nd out of 35 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Proportion of population covered by at least a 3G mobile network in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 50.4% | — |
| 2016 | 58.4% | +15.8% |
| 2017 | 64.1% | +9.8% |
| 2018 | 71.8% | +12.0% |
| 2019 | 74.2% | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 75.3% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 78.6% | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 81.3% | +3.4% |
| 2023 | 84.1% | +3.4% |
| 2024 | 86.7% | +3.1% |
| 2025 | 88.7% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 63.8% | 50.4% | 74.2% | 5 |
| 2020s | 82.5% | 75.3% | 88.7% | 6 |
More science & technology data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Scientific and technical journal articles 48,022 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per square kilometre 0.002 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Digital connectivity composite index -1.24 standard deviations from the yearly mean (2025)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, annual growth rate -0.2159 % change on previous year (2023)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 8,160 (2020)
- Patent applications, residents 1,834 (2020)
- Proportion of individuals using the Internet 35.7% (2025)
- Proportion of population covered by at least a 2G mobile network 94.1% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network in Sub-Saharan Africa was 88.7% in 2025, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 88.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.4% in 2015.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 32nd out of 35 groups with data for 2025.
- Is proportion of population covered by at least a 3g mobile network rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population covered by at least a 3G mobile network (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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