Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia

Zambia: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 62.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
62.8%
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
128th
of 141 countries
All-time high
62.8%
in 2023
All-time low
44.6%
in 2018
Years of data
6
2018–2023

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia, 2018–2023

02040602018202020232018: 44.6 %2019: 50.6 %2020: 53.3 %2021: 55.7 %2022: 59.7 %2023: 62.8 %

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 Zambia is 62.8%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 40.8% over ten years.

Zambia ranks 128th of 141 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 47.6% 44.6% 50.6% 2
2020s 57.9% 53.3% 62.8% 4

Countries ranked near Zambia

  1. 125 Cameroon 64.3% compare
  2. 126 Niger 64.2% compare
  3. 127 Guinea-Bissau 64.0% compare
  4. 129 Pakistan 62.1% compare
  5. 130 East Timor 61.7% compare
  6. 131 Ecuador 61.3% compare

See the full ranking of 141 places →

More science & technology data for Zambia

All data for Zambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia?
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia was 62.8% 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 Zambia?
The highest recorded value was 62.8% in 2023.
What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Zambia?
The lowest recorded value was 44.6% in 2018.
How does Zambia rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
Zambia ranks 128th out of 141 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Zambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 40.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zambia 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 (%)