Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 81.6% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
81.6%
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
116th
of 182 countries
All-time high
81.6%
in 2024
All-time low
47.0%
in 2020
Years of data
6
2019–2024

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe, 2019–2024

0204060802019202120242019: 70.1 %2020: 47 %2021: 74.9 %2022: 77.9 %2023: 81 %2024: 81.6 %

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

Analysis

Zimbabwe recorded 81.6% for share of the population that owns a mobile phone in 2024. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 16.4% over ten years.

That places Zimbabwe 116th out of 182 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe, year by year

Annual values for Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe, 2019 to 2024.
Year % Change
2019 70.1%
2020 47.0% -33.0%
2021 74.9% +59.4%
2022 77.9% +4.0%
2023 81.0% +4.0%
2024 81.6% +0.7%

Zimbabwe compared with similar countries

  • Zimbabwe's 81.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.4%, 1.1× the median. (44 countries reporting)
  • Zimbabwe's 81.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.1%, 1.2× the median. (39 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 70.1% 70.1% 70.1% 1
2020s 72.5% 47.0% 81.6% 5

Countries ranked near Zimbabwe

  1. 114 Guinea 82.2% compare
  2. 115 Paraguay 81.8% compare
  3. 116 Venezuela 81.6% compare
  4. 118 Cape Verde 81.4% compare
  5. 119 Mexico 81.2% compare

See the full ranking of 182 places →

More science & technology data for Zimbabwe

All data for Zimbabwe →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe?
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe was 81.6% 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 Zimbabwe?
The highest recorded value was 81.6% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Zimbabwe?
The lowest recorded value was 47.0% in 2020.
How does Zimbabwe rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
Zimbabwe ranks 116th out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Zimbabwe 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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Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Zimbabwe. Statizoid, drawing on International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 21 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/share-population-mobile-phone/zimbabwe/

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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
182 places, 1,308 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).