Share of the population that owns a mobile phone by country

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%)

Countries reporting
137
Highest
100.0%
United Arab Emirates
Lowest
21.0%
Burundi
Median
89.4%
Years covered
12
2013–2024
Data points
918

What the numbers show

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone is currently reported for 137 countries. The highest value is 100.0% in United Arab Emirates; the lowest is 21.0% in Burundi.

The median across all reporting countries is 89.4%, and the mean is 84.8%.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 5.

Over the past decade 61 countries rose and 18 fell. The largest increase was in Cuba (up 267.0%), and the largest decrease in Angola (down 29.4%).

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 United Arab Emirates 100.0% 2023 up 0.3% flat
1 Bahrain 100.0% 2023 unchanged flat
1 Saudi Arabia 100.0% 2023 up 62.3% rising
4 Spain 99.2% 2023 up 3.1% flat
5 Czechia 98.8% 2023 up 2.1% flat
6 Romania 98.6% 2023 flat
6 Russia 98.6% 2023 up 4.0% flat
8 Oman 98.5% 2023 up 27.8% rising
8 Qatar 98.5% 2023 down 1.5% flat
8 Slovenia 98.5% 2023 up 1.0% flat
11 Kuwait 98.4% 2023 down 1.3% flat
11 Malaysia 98.4% 2023 up 4.1% flat
13 Switzerland 98.3% 2023 flat
13 Monaco 98.3% 2023 flat
15 Denmark 98.2% 2023 up 18.6% rising
15 Hong Kong 98.2% 2023 up 3.6% flat
15 Singapore 98.2% 2023 up 9.7% rising
18 Iceland 98.1% 2023 flat
19 Israel 97.7% 2023 up 6.0% rising
20 Belarus 97.6% 2023 up 4.4% flat
21 Egypt 97.4% 2023 up 20.2% rising
21 Finland 97.4% 2023 down 1.1% flat
21 South Korea 97.4% 2023 up 15.0% rising
21 Portugal 97.4% 2023 flat
21 Slovakia 97.4% 2023 rising
26 Estonia 96.9% 2023 flat
27 Jamaica 96.8% 2023 up 0.4% flat
27 Latvia 96.8% 2023 flat
27 Morocco 96.8% 2023 up 18.5% rising
30 Cyprus 96.7% 2023 up 0.1% flat
30 Croatia 96.7% 2023 rising
33 Lithuania 96.5% 2023 down 0.2% flat
36 Austria 96.2% 2023 flat
37 Maldives 96.0% 2023 flat
37 Norway 96.0% 2023 down 2.0% flat
37 Turkey 96.0% 2024 up 5.4% rising
40 France 95.7% 2023 up 21.6% rising
40 Serbia 95.7% 2023 up 4.2% flat
42 Italy 95.3% 2023 up 6.1% flat
42 New Zealand 95.3% 2023 flat
42 Vatican 95.3% 2023 rising
45 Montenegro 94.8% 2023 rising
46 San Marino 94.7% 2023 flat
47 Australia 94.6% 2023 flat
48 Japan 94.4% 2023 up 16.7% rising
49 Macao 94.2% 2023 up 2.1% flat
50 Georgia 93.9% 2023 up 19.8% rising
51 Andorra 93.8% 2023 flat
52 Seychelles 93.6% 2023 flat
54 Chile 93.2% 2023 down 2.2% flat
55 Algeria 93.0% 2023 up 5.8% rising
55 Mongolia 93.0% 2023 down 1.5% flat
57 Bahamas 92.8% 2023 flat
57 Kazakhstan 92.8% 2023 up 8.7% rising
59 Hungary 92.7% 2023 flat
60 Canada 92.4% 2023 flat
61 Costa Rica 92.1% 2023 up 7.1% rising
62 Brunei 91.8% 2023 down 7.3% falling
62 Ukraine 91.8% 2023 up 136.0% rising
64 North Macedonia 91.6% 2023 rising
65 Uruguay 91.2% 2023 up 18.6% rising
66 Moldova 91.1% 2023 up 70.0% rising
67 Tunisia 90.9% 2023 up 10.3% rising
68 Suriname 90.3% 2023 rising
68 Sweden 90.3% 2023 flat
70 Libya 89.6% 2023 flat
70 Mauritius 89.6% 2023 up 18.4% rising
72 Argentina 89.5% 2023 rising
73 South Africa 89.4% 2023 down 9.1% rising
74 Germany 89.3% 2023 flat
75 Antigua and Barbuda 89.0% 2023 flat
76 Tuvalu 88.5% 2023 flat
77 Thailand 88.4% 2023 up 20.6% rising
78 Netherlands 88.2% 2023 up 18.7% rising
79 Brazil 88.1% 2023 up 4.4% rising
79 Philippines 88.1% 2023 rising
81 Bosnia and Herzegovina 87.9% 2023 rising
82 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 87.6% 2023 down 9.5% falling
83 Panama 87.4% 2023 flat
84 Belgium 87.2% 2023 down 10.3% falling
85 Guyana 87.1% 2023 rising
86 Jordan 86.1% 2023 rising
87 Peru 86.0% 2023 up 8.6% rising
88 Dominican Republic 84.4% 2023 down 8.2% flat
89 Azerbaijan 84.3% 2023 up 16.4% rising
90 Cape Verde 84.2% 2023 up 18.6% rising
91 El Salvador 83.8% 2023 up 5.9% flat
91 Vietnam 83.8% 2023 rising
93 Grenada 83.5% 2023 down 7.1% falling
94 Namibia 82.2% 2023 rising
94 Uzbekistan 82.2% 2023 up 29.4% rising
96 Eswatini 82.1% 2023 rising
97 Mexico 81.4% 2023 up 29.2% rising
97 Marshall Islands 81.4% 2023 rising
99 Guinea 81.0% 2023 up 5.5% rising
99 Palestine 81.0% 2023 up 9.9% flat
101 Bolivia 79.7% 2023 rising
102 Cambodia 79.4% 2023 up 201.9% rising
102 Senegal 79.4% 2023 rising
104 Mauritania 79.1% 2023 rising
105 Mozambique 78.2% 2023 up 149.0% rising
106 Armenia 77.5% 2023 up 6.7% rising
107 Colombia 77.0% 2023 up 11.1% rising
108 Samoa 75.7% 2023 rising
109 Sao Tome and Principe 75.3% 2023 rising
110 Nepal 74.6% 2023 rising
111 Iran 74.3% 2023 up 6.6% rising
112 Djibouti 74.2% 2023 up 31.8% rising
113 Ghana 74.0% 2023 rising
114 Mali 73.2% 2023 rising
115 Nigeria 72.7% 2023 up 78.6% rising
116 Iraq 72.5% 2022 up 35.8% rising
117 Tajikistan 72.4% 2023 rising
118 Guatemala 71.2% 2023 rising
118 Lesotho 71.2% 2023 down 9.5% falling
120 Cuba 70.1% 2023 up 267.0% rising
121 Vanuatu 69.7% 2023 rising
122 Uganda 67.4% 2023 rising
123 Indonesia 67.3% 2023 up 34.9% rising
124 Cote d'Ivoire 66.5% 2023 up 21.8% rising
125 Cameroon 64.3% 2023 down 14.7% falling
126 Niger 64.2% 2023 down 1.5% rising
127 Guinea-Bissau 64.0% 2023 rising
128 Zambia 62.8% 2023 up 40.8% rising
129 Pakistan 62.1% 2023 rising
130 East Timor 61.7% 2023 rising
131 Ecuador 61.3% 2024 up 13.7% rising
132 Togo 59.9% 2023 up 36.4% rising
133 Liberia 59.0% 2023 rising
134 Malawi 56.6% 2023 up 33.5% rising
135 Rwanda 56.2% 2023 up 53.1% rising
136 Burkina Faso 55.9% 2023 rising
136 Solomon Islands 55.9% 2023 rising
138 Angola 55.5% 2023 down 29.4% falling
139 Sierra Leone 47.7% 2023 rising
140 Ethiopia 45.2% 2021 down 9.6% falling
141 Burundi 21.0% 2023 up 51.1% rising

About this data

Indicator
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone
Unit
%
Source
International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
141 places, 918 data points, 2013–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%)