Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Rwanda
Rwanda: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 51.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
51.5%
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
174th
of 182 countries
All-time high
51.5%
in 2024
All-time low
36.7%
in 2017
Years of data
7
2017–2024
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Rwanda, 2017–2024
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 Rwanda is 51.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.3% on the previous year and up 40.3% over ten years.
That places Rwanda 174th out of 182 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 36.7% | — |
| 2019 | 40.2% | +9.5% |
| 2020 | 41.2% | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 48.8% | +18.4% |
| 2022 | 47.6% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 49.4% | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 51.5% | +4.3% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 51.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 53.8%, 96% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 51.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.1%, 75% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 38.5% | 36.7% | 40.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 47.7% | 41.2% | 51.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 171 Malawi 57.2% compare
- 172 Liberia 54.8% compare
- 173 Ethiopia 52.7% compare
- 175 Sierra Leone 50.3% compare
- 176 Afghanistan 48.4% compare
- 177 Papua New Guinea 48.1% compare
More science & technology data for Rwanda
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 93.2 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.932 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0009 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 13.29 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 517.35 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 1.9 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 4.11 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 433.51 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Rwanda?
- Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Rwanda was 51.5% 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 Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 51.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.7% in 2017.
- How does Rwanda rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- Rwanda ranks 174th out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda 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 (%).