Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Ethiopia

Ethiopia: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 45.2% in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
45.2%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
140th
of 141 countries
All-time high
58.3%
in 2016
All-time low
44.6%
in 2019
Years of data
5
2015–2021

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Ethiopia, 2015–2021

02040602015201820212015: 50 %2016: 58.3 %2019: 44.6 %2020: 44.7 %2021: 45.2 %

Source: International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Ethiopia is 45.2%, measured in 2021.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.

Ethiopia ranks 140th of 141 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 51.0% 44.6% 58.3% 3
2020s 45.0% 44.7% 45.2% 2

Countries ranked near Ethiopia

  1. 138 Angola 55.5% compare
  2. 139 Sierra Leone 47.7% compare
  3. 141 Burundi 21.0% compare

See the full ranking of 141 places →

More science & technology data for Ethiopia

All data for Ethiopia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Ethiopia?
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Ethiopia was 45.2% in 2021, according to International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Ethiopia?
The highest recorded value was 58.3% in 2016.
What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Ethiopia?
The lowest recorded value was 44.6% in 2019.
How does Ethiopia rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
Ethiopia ranks 140th out of 141 countries with data for 2021.
Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Ethiopia?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
The figures come from International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population that owns a mobile phone. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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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 (%)