Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Nigeria

Nigeria: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 72.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
72.7%
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
115th
of 141 countries
All-time high
72.7%
in 2023
All-time low
40.7%
in 2017
Years of data
6
2017–2023

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Nigeria, 2017–2023

0204060802017202020232017: 40.7 %2019: 62.6 %2020: 67.3 %2021: 71.4 %2022: 72.5 %2023: 72.7 %

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

Analysis

Nigeria recorded 72.7% for share of the population that owns a mobile phone in 2023. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 78.6% over ten years.

That places Nigeria 115th out of 141 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 51.7% 40.7% 62.6% 2
2020s 71.0% 67.3% 72.7% 4

Countries ranked near Nigeria

  1. 112 Djibouti 74.2% compare
  2. 113 Ghana 74.0% compare
  3. 114 Mali 73.2% compare
  4. 116 Iraq 72.5% compare
  5. 117 Tajikistan 72.4% compare
  6. 118 Guatemala 71.2% compare
  7. 118 Lesotho 71.2% compare

See the full ranking of 141 places →

More science & technology data for Nigeria

All data for Nigeria →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Nigeria?
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Nigeria was 72.7% 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 Nigeria?
The highest recorded value was 72.7% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Nigeria?
The lowest recorded value was 40.7% in 2017.
How does Nigeria rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
Nigeria ranks 115th out of 141 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Nigeria?
Over the last ten years it is up 78.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Nigeria 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 (%)