Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 87.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa, 2015–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa stood at 87.0%.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa peaked at 98.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 53.7%, in 2016.
South Africa ranks 94th of 182 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 98.4% | — |
| 2016 | 53.7% | -45.4% |
| 2017 | 59.6% | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 79.6% | +33.6% |
| 2019 | 78.1% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 83.4% | +6.8% |
| 2021 | 88.9% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 86.6% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 88.0% | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 87.0% | -1.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 87.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 86.9%, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 87.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.1%, 1.3× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 73.9% | 53.7% | 98.4% | 5 |
| 2020s | 86.8% | 83.4% | 88.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More science & technology data for South Africa
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 179.34 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.79 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 114.79 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 89.37 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 5.88 % change on previous year (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents, gaps filled 8,549 (2024)
- Patent applications, nonresidents 8,549 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa?
- Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in South Africa was 87.0% 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 98.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.7% in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- South Africa ranks 94th out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).