Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia
Zambia: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 47.4% in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
47.4%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
178th
of 182 countries
All-time high
55.7%
in 2021
All-time low
44.6%
in 2018
Years of data
7
2018–2024
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia, 2018–2024
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 Zambia is 47.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Zambia ranks 178th of 182 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 44.6% | — |
| 2019 | 50.6% | +13.5% |
| 2020 | 53.3% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 55.7% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 46.2% | -17.1% |
| 2023 | 47.0% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 47.4% | +0.9% |
Zambia compared with similar countries
- Zambia's 47.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.4%, 63% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Zambia's 47.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.1%, 69% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 47.6% | 44.6% | 50.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 49.9% | 46.2% | 55.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
- 175 Sierra Leone 50.3% compare
- 176 Afghanistan 48.4% compare
- 177 Papua New Guinea 48.1% compare
- 179 Madagascar 44.4% compare
- 180 Democratic Republic of Congo 44.3% compare
- 181 Uganda 43.3% compare
More science & technology data for Zambia
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 108.7 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 1.09 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 23.17 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 28.45 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 6.51 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 9.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 367.3 (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 Zambia?
- Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zambia was 47.4% 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 Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 55.7% in 2021.
- 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 178th out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).