Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Malaysia

Malaysia: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 98.4% in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
98.4%
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
11th
of 141 countries
All-time high
98.4%
in 2023
All-time low
94.5%
in 2015
Years of data
8
2015–2023

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Malaysia, 2015–2023

0204060801002015201920232015: 94.5 %2017: 95.5 %2018: 96 %2019: 95.7 %2020: 96.4 %2021: 97.4 %2022: 98.2 %2023: 98.4 %

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 Malaysia is 98.4%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Malaysia peaked at 98.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 94.5%, in 2015.

That places Malaysia 11th out of 141 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 95.4% 94.5% 96.0% 4
2020s 97.6% 96.4% 98.4% 4

Countries ranked near Malaysia

  1. 8 Oman 98.5% compare
  2. 8 Qatar 98.5% compare
  3. 8 Slovenia 98.5% compare
  4. 11 Kuwait 98.4% compare
  5. 13 Monaco 98.3% compare
  6. 13 Switzerland 98.3% compare

See the full ranking of 141 places →

More science & technology data for Malaysia

All data for Malaysia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Malaysia?
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Malaysia was 98.4% in 2023, 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 Malaysia?
The highest recorded value was 98.4% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Malaysia?
The lowest recorded value was 94.5% in 2015.
How does Malaysia rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
Malaysia ranks 11th out of 141 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Malaysia?
Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Malaysia 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 (%)