Telecom · Data story
More mobile subscriptions than people? What the numbers mean
By ChartGlow · · 6 min read
A country can record more than 100 mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people. That sounds like more subscriptions than people, and in this measure it is. It does not mean every person has a phone—or that the country has crossed a population-ownership threshold. The indicator counts subscriptions, not unique individuals.
Mobile subscriptions are not internet users
Mobile cellular subscriptions (IT.CEL.SETS.P2) counts voice-service subscriptions per 100 people, not unique individuals; multiple subscriptions can push the ratio above 100. Internet use (IT.NET.USER.ZS) is the percentage of people who used the internet in the last three months, on any device. A mobile subscription does not establish that its holder used the internet.
Neither measure establishes network coverage or connection quality. The two articles use different country selections and time samples; compare only matching countries and observed years, keeping the units distinct.
Read the internet-use and access-gap analysis →Watch subscriptions rise across six countries
Highest value in this selection, 2023
128.2
China had 128.2 mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people in 2023. That is a subscription-density ratio, not a claim that 128.2% of people owned a phone.
What is being counted?
A subscription is a service connection. One person may have several, and some connections may be associated with devices or business use. The indicator does not identify how many distinct people subscribe.
It also does not measure smartphone ownership, active device count, internet use, or connection quality.
The ratio passed 100 in four of six countries
The table compares the first and last observations in the animation. Countries are ordered by their 2023 value. Each value is subscriptions per 100 people, rounded to one decimal place.
| Country | 2000 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 6.7 | 128.2 |
| Indonesia | 1.7 | 125.2 |
| United States | 38.9 | 112.4 |
| Brazil | 13.3 | 101.0 |
| Nigeria | 0.0 | 98.5 |
| India | 0.3 | 80.6 |
The change is measured in subscriptions per 100 people: China rose by 121.5 on this scale, from 6.7 to 128.2. These are not percentage-point changes in the share of people with a phone.
Use this project Download the chart data144 observations · 6 countries × 24 years · the same annual dataset used in the video.
Import these exact values or adapt your comparison →A useful measure with a narrow meaning
Observed: the United States starts with the highest value among these six in 2000, at 38.9 subscriptions per 100 people. By 2023 China leads this selection at 128.2, followed by Indonesia at 125.2 and the United States at 112.4. Brazil, Nigeria, and India also end higher than 80.
Interpretation: subscriptions became more numerous relative to population in all six series. Values above 100 are plausible because the numerator counts subscriptions while the denominator counts people. Multiple subscriptions per person can lift the ratio above 100; the aggregate alone cannot tell us how common that is.
Not every series rises continuously. Indonesia reaches 162.8 subscriptions per 100 people in 2017, then falls to 118.3 in 2018, a decline of 44.5 on the same scale. This chart shows the change but does not establish its cause.
The ratio is useful for comparing the scale of mobile service connections across countries and years. It cannot tell whether a person has a basic phone or smartphone, whether a line is used regularly, or whether it can access fast and reliable internet. Those questions need different measures.
Method, sources, and reuse
The indicator is IT.CEL.SETS.P2, mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) via the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. It counts subscriptions to public mobile telephone service that offer voice communications: postpaid subscriptions and prepaid accounts used within the previous three months. It excludes inactive prepaid accounts, data cards or USB modems, and mobile data-only subscriptions. Operators may apply different definitions of “active,” which can limit comparability. See the indicator glossary and series page.
We selected the United States, Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, and Nigeria and retained each annual observation from 2000 through 2023: 144 country-year values, with no missing values in this selection. This is a bounded comparison, not a ranking of every country. The chart data and video values are rounded to one decimal place; Nigeria’s 2000 value appears as 0.0 after rounding, not as proof that no subscriptions existed.
The animation interpolates between 24 annual observations to show movement. Intermediate frames are transitions, not measured monthly or daily values. The table and downloadable CSV use the same selected series. The accepted source snapshot was last updated on 13 July 2026. A check of the World Bank API on 6 October 2026 found no revisions to these 144 values; later historical revisions remain possible.
The World Bank series page identifies CC BY 4.0 for this ITU-sourced indicator; see its terms of use and indicator glossary. The native country flags are Flagcdn/Flagpedia assets; Flagpedia’s terms describe its flags as public domain. No source endorsement is implied.
- Subscriptions per 100 people are not the percentage of people who own or use a phone.
- This indicator does not measure smartphones, devices, internet adoption, data traffic, coverage, speed, or quality.
- The six-country selection and annual endpoints cannot establish why subscriptions changed or predict future levels.
- 2023 is the latest year in this accepted chart snapshot, not a live 2026 reading.
Use the published data or adapt your comparison
Reproduce the published six-country comparison, or explore your own countries and years. Both use subscriptions per 100 people, not unique individuals or phone ownership; values can exceed 100.
Reproduce the 144 published observations
The exact CSV contains six countries at 24 annual dates, 2000–2023: the United States (USA in the file), Brazil, China, Indonesia, India and Nigeria.
- Download exact CSV, then open New chart and choose Upload a file. Sign in if needed; reopen New chart if necessary. Select the file yourself and review its 144 rows before importing.
- In Fields, set Entity Column to name, Time Column or Order Source to year, and Value / Metric Column to value. Set the time Order to Ascending. Values already use subscriptions per 100 people, such as 128.2; do not multiply them by 100 or treat them as a share of unique people.
- Choose Chart → Chart Type → Bar for values and ranks at each date, or Line for trajectories. Use native Auto Flags for the countries, then open Preview and compare with the table above. Importing data does not copy the video’s styling.
In an existing chart, use Data / Edit data → Add data → CSV / Excel File. Review before choosing Replace data: it replaces the whole table. Cancel keeps your data.
Follow the native CSV import guide →Compare your own countries and years
Review the annual request below for Brazil, China and India, 2000–2023. After voluntarily using it, edit Entities to compare and Period to cover for your question; keep IT.CEL.SETS.P2 in subscriptions per 100 people from ITU via World Bank WDI, or revise the metric, indicator, unit and source together.
This illustrative request is separate from the six-country CSV. It does not reproduce or guarantee the 144 published observations, complete annual coverage, or a statistically valid comparison. Nothing is sent to AI automatically; generated data need review.
Review the Mobile request →An annual Mobile request to adapt
- Metric to track
- Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, from ITU via World Bank indicator IT.CEL.SETS.P2. Use annual source observations and keep source references. Flag missing observations; do not invent or fill them.
- Entities to compare (optional)
- Brazil, China, India
- Period to cover
- 2000–2023
Choose Review this request. After signing in in the same tab, choose Use this illustrative request in Generate Dataset. The three fields stay editable; nothing is sent automatically, and an existing draft is kept.
The native form labels this saved request Mobile subscriptions · Bar idea. It sets the metric, countries, and period, not the chart type. After reviewing and voluntarily applying data, choose Chart → Chart Type → Bar yourself for values and ranks, or Line for trajectories.
Review this requestBefore generating or reusing data
Check the ITU via World Bank IT.CEL.SETS.P2 source. Keep subscriptions per 100 people, not a percentage of unique people. Review source references, countries, dates, units, missing observations and reuse rights before applying data. Annual coverage is not guaranteed; flag missing observations without inventing or filling them. Motion between annual observations is interpolation.
Generate Dataset may use AI credits and does not guarantee correct or complete data. Generation and application remain voluntary. In an existing project, copy the three fields into Data / Edit data → AI Assistant → Generate Dataset; this link does not prefill an existing chart. See the native request steps.