Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Iran
Iran: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 86.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Iran, 2015–2024
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 Iran is 86.8%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Iran peaked at 86.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 64.2%, in 2016.
That places Iran 95th out of 182 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 69.7% | — |
| 2016 | 64.2% | -7.9% |
| 2017 | 66.0% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 68.2% | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 70.8% | +3.8% |
| 2020 | 71.9% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 72.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 85.0% | +17.4% |
| 2023 | 86.0% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 86.8% | +0.9% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 86.8% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 86.9%, 100% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Iran's 86.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 92.7%, 94% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 67.8% | 64.2% | 70.8% | 5 |
| 2020s | 80.4% | 71.9% | 86.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 93 Libya 87.3% compare
- 94 South Africa 87.0% compare
- 96 Azerbaijan 86.6% compare
- 97 Peru 86.5% compare
- 97 Lebanon 86.5% compare
More science & technology data for Iran
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 174.07 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.74 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 159.39 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 92.86 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.68 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.79 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 55,085 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0.0006 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Iran?
- Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Iran was 86.8% in 2024, 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 86.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 64.2% in 2016.
- How does Iran rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- Iran ranks 95th out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran 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
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).