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More connections than people

One hundred subscriptions does not mean everyone has a phone.

More connections than people: values provided in accessible table below
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The story behind the numbers

Mobile subscription counts can exceed population because people hold multiple SIM cards and devices. This is a measure of active connections, not unique people. The comparison highlights the scale of mobile networks while keeping that distinction explicit.

THE TAKEAWAY

One hundred subscriptions does not mean everyone has a phone.

Read the numbers carefully

Active mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 people. Multiple subscriptions are possible.

Data behind the visual

This selected comparison includes 30 economies with observations in 2024 shown in per 100 people.

CountryValue
United Arab Emirates203.2
South Africa179.3
South Korea172.5
Thailand160.6
Saudi Arabia159.5
Sweden140.7
Argentina140.2
Poland138
Italy132.6
China131.8
Germany129.2
Netherlands128.5
Vietnam127.6
Kenya126.5
Indonesia122.5
United Kingdom121.6
Mexico116.5
Philippines115.3
United States113.2
Australia112.6
Norway109.3
Bangladesh108.1
Türkiye107.8
Brazil101.9
Egypt97.1
Canada94.1
India79.4
Pakistan76.9
Nigeria70.8
Ethiopia65.1

Compare any two countries.

Choose two places to inspect this indicator side-by-side. Same source, same year.

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