Public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Public payphones was 22,547 per 1,000 people in 2007. ▲ Rising
Public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2007
Source: International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2007, public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 22,547 per 1,000 people. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.6% on the previous year and up 107.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 22,547 per 1,000 people in 2007 and was at its lowest, 5,194 per 1,000 people, in 1990.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5,194 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1992 | 5,357 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 1994 | 5,531 per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 5,850 per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 10,419 per 1,000 people | +78.1% |
| 1997 | 10,864 per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1998 | 13,217 per 1,000 people | +21.7% |
| 1999 | 15,377 per 1,000 people | +16.3% |
| 2000 | 16,398 per 1,000 people | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 18,727 per 1,000 people | +14.2% |
| 2002 | 18,538 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 21,161 per 1,000 people | +14.2% |
| 2007 | 22,547 per 1,000 people | +6.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8,976 per 1,000 people | 5,194 per 1,000 people | 15,377 per 1,000 people | 8 |
| 2000s | 19,474 per 1,000 people | 16,398 per 1,000 people | 22,547 per 1,000 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
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 public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Public payphones in Sub-Saharan Africa was 22,547 per 1,000 people in 2007, according to International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates.
- What is the highest public payphones recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 22,547 per 1,000 people in 2007.
- What is the lowest public payphones recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,194 per 1,000 people in 1990.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for public payphones?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 3rd out of 6 groups with data for 2007.
- Is public payphones rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 107.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union, World Telecommunication Development Report and database, and World Bank estimates, published as part of Public payphones (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Please cite the International Telecommunication Union for third-party use of these data. Total number of all types of public telephones, including coin- and card-operated and public telephones in call offices. Publicly available phones installed in private places should also be included, as should mobile public telephones. All public telephones regardless of capability (e.g., local calls or national only) should be counted. If the national definition of "payphone" differs from that above (e.g., by excluding pay phones in private places), then respondents should indicate their own definition.