Share of people in range of 4G mobile network in South Africa
South Africa: Share of people in range of 4G mobile network was 99.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of people in range of 4G mobile network in South Africa, 2012–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people in range of 4g mobile network in South Africa is 99.4%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 192.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people in range of 4g mobile network in South Africa peaked at 99.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 2012.
That places South Africa 54th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of people in range of 4G mobile network in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5.0% | — |
| 2013 | 14.2% | +184.6% |
| 2014 | 34.0% | +138.9% |
| 2015 | 54.0% | +58.8% |
| 2016 | 73.0% | +35.2% |
| 2017 | 77.6% | +6.3% |
| 2018 | 90.3% | +16.4% |
| 2019 | 94.4% | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 96.5% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 97.9% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 98.5% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 99.0% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 99.4% | +0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 99.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 98.0%, 1.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 99.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 81.8%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of people in range of 4G mobile network in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +184.6% | 5.0% | 14.2% |
| 2014 | +138.9% | 14.2% | 34.0% |
| 2015 | +58.8% | 34.0% | 54.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 55.3% | 5.0% | 94.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 98.2% | 96.5% | 99.4% | 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 people in range of 4g mobile network in South Africa?
- Share of people in range of 4g mobile network in South Africa was 99.4% in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people in range of 4g mobile network recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of people in range of 4g mobile network recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 2012.
- How does South Africa rank for share of people in range of 4g mobile network?
- South Africa ranks 54th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of people in range of 4g mobile network rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 192.4%. 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 people in range of 4G mobile network. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of population covered by at least a 4G mobile network (%).