Below you can find the total number of active mobile phones listed by country, in descending order.
A few points that should be noted:
- Poorer countries may have a surprisingly high number of active mobile phone connections due to it being cheaper and easier to roll-out a mobile infrastructure than a landline infrastructure – particularly in more remote areas
- Developed countries may have a higher figure than expected due to many people having more than one mobile phone – for example one mobile phone for personal use and another provided by their employer for business use.
- Countries with particularly high tourism levels will have a higher than anticipated number of active mobile phone conections as tourists will often buy local sim cards to use in their own mobile phones for the duration of their stay, allowing them to make calls within the host country at local rates rather than paying the mobile service provider in their own home country for international roaming calls, which can be tremendously expensive, particularly outside of the EU.
This data is based on the most recent information provided by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
| Position | Country | Total Mobiles | Last Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 747,000,000 | 2009 |
| 2 | India | 670,000,000 | 2010 |
| 3 | United States | 286,000,000 | 2009 |
| 4 | Russia | 230,500,000 | 2009 |
| 5 | Brazil | 173,959,000 | 2009 |
| 6 | Indonesia | 159,248,000 | 2009 |
| 7 | Japan | 114,917,000 | 2009 |
| 8 | Germany | 105,000,000 | 2009 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 103,000,000 | 2009 |
| 10 | Vietnam | 98,224,000 | 2009 |
| 11 | Philippines | 92,227,000 | 2010 |
| 12 | Italy | 90,613,000 | 2009 |
| 13 | Mexico | 83,528,000 | 2009 |
| 14 | Thailand | 83,057,000 | 2009 |
| 15 | United Kingdom | 80,375,000 | 2009 |
| 16 | Nigeria | 73,099,000 | 2009 |
| 17 | Turkey | 62,780,000 | 2009 |
| 18 | France | 60,950,000 | 2009 |
| 19 | Egypt | 55,352,000 | 2009 |
| 20 | Ukraine | 55,333,000 | 2009 |
| 21 | Iran | 52,555,000 | 2009 |
| 22 | Argentina | 51,891,000 | 2009 |
| 23 | Spain | 50,991,000 | 2009 |
| 24 | Bangladesh | 50,400,000 | 2009 |
| 25 | Korea, South | 47,944,000 | 2009 |
| 26 | South Africa | 46,436,000 | 2009 |
| 27 | Saudi Arabia | 44,864,000 | 2009 |
| 28 | Poland | 44,553,000 | 2009 |
| 29 | Colombia | 42,160,000 | 2009 |
| 30 | Algeria | 32,730,000 | 2009 |
| 31 | Malaysia | 30,379,000 | 2009 |
| 32 | Venezuela | 28,124,000 | 2009 |
| 33 | Taiwan | 26,959,000 | 2009 |
| 34 | Romania | 25,377,000 | 2009 |
| 35 | Morocco | 25,311,000 | 2009 |
| 36 | Peru | 24,700,000 | 2009 |
| 37 | Australia | 24,220,000 | 2009 |
| 38 | Canada | 23,081,000 | 2009 |
| 39 | Netherlands | 21,182,000 | 2009 |
| 40 | Iraq | 19,722,000 | 2009 |
| 41 | Kenya | 19,365,000 | 2009 |
| 42 | Tanzania | 17,677,000 | 2010 |
| 43 | Guatemala | 17,308,000 | 2009 |
| 44 | Chile | 16,450,000 | 2009 |
| 45 | Uzbekistan | 16,418,000 | 2009 |
| 46 | Sri Lanka | 15,868,000 | 2010 |
| 47 | Sudan | 15,340,000 | 2009 |
| 48 | Portugal | 15,178,000 | 2009 |
| 49 | Ghana | 15,109,000 | 2009 |
| 50 | Kazakhstan | 14,995,000 | 2009 |
| 51 | Czech Republic | 14,258,000 | 2009 |
| 52 | Ecuador | 13,635,000 | 2009 |
| 53 | Cote d’Ivoire | 13,346,000 | 2009 |
| 54 | Greece | 13,295,000 | 2009 |
| 55 | Belgium | 12,419,000 | 2009 |
| 56 | Hong Kong | 12,207,000 | 2009 |
| 57 | Afghanistan | 12,000,000 | 2009 |
| 58 | Hungary | 11,793,000 | 2009 |
| 59 | Austria | 11,773,000 | 2009 |
| 60 | Sweden | 11,426,000 | 2009 |
| 61 | United Arab Emirates | 10,672,000 | 2009 |
| 62 | Bulgaria | 10,617,000 | 2009 |
| 63 | Congo, Democratic Republic of | 10,163,000 | 2009 |
| 64 | Serbia | 9,912,000 | 2009 |
| 65 | Tunisia | 9,754,000 | 2009 |
| 66 | Syria | 9,697,000 | 2009 |
| 67 | Belarus | 9,686,000 | 2009 |
| 68 | Uganda | 9,384,000 | 2009 |
| 69 | Switzerland | 9,255,000 | 2009 |
| 70 | Israel | 9,022,000 | 2009 |
| 71 | Dominican Republic | 8,630,000 | 2009 |
| 72 | Yemen | 8,313,000 | 2009 |
| 73 | Angola | 8,109,000 | 2009 |
| 74 | Azerbaijan | 7,757,000 | 2009 |
| 75 | Honduras | 7,714,000 | 2009 |
| 76 | Finland | 7,700,000 | 2009 |
| 77 | Nepal | 7,618,000 | 2009 |
| 78 | El Salvador | 7,566,000 | 2009 |
| 79 | Denmark | 7,406,000 | 2009 |
| 80 | Cameroon | 7,397,000 | 2009 |
| 81 | Bolivia | 7,148,000 | 2009 |
| 82 | Senegal | 6,902,000 | 2009 |
| 83 | Singapore | 6,652,000 | 2009 |
| 84 | Croatia | 6,035,000 | 2009 |
| 85 | Jordan | 6,014,000 | 2009 |
| 86 | Madagascar | 5,997,000 | 2009 |
| 87 | Mozambique | 5,971,000 | 2009 |
| 88 | Panama | 5,677,000 | 2009 |
| 89 | Paraguay | 5,619,000 | 2009 |
| 90 | Guinea | 5,607,000 | 2009 |
| 91 | Cambodia | 5,593,000 | 2009 |
| 92 | Slovakia | 5,498,000 | 2009 |
| 93 | Norway | 5,336,000 | 2009 |
| 94 | Benin | 5,033,000 | 2009 |
| 95 | Libya | 5,004,000 | 2009 |
| 96 | Lithuania | 4,962,000 | 2009 |
| 97 | Tajikistan | 4,900,000 | 2009 |
| 98 | Ireland | 4,871,000 | 2009 |
| 99 | New Zealand | 4,700,000 | 2009 |
| 100 | Kyrgyzstan | 4,487,000 | 2009 |
| 101 | Zambia | 4,407,000 | 2009 |
| 102 | Albania | 4,162,000 | 2009 |
| 103 | Uruguay | 4,112,000 | 2009 |
| 104 | Ethiopia | 4,052,000 | 2009 |
| 105 | Oman | 3,971,000 | 2009 |
| 106 | Kuwait | 3,876,000 | 2009 |
| 107 | Mali | 3,742,000 | 2009 |
| 108 | Haiti | 3,648,000 | 2009 |
| 109 | Burkina Faso | 3,299,000 | 2009 |
| 110 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3,257,000 | 2009 |
| 111 | Laos | 3,235,000 | 2009 |
| 112 | Nicaragua | 3,204,000 | 2009 |
| 113 | Zimbabwe | 2,991,000 | 2009 |
| 114 | Jamaica | 2,971,000 | 2009 |
| 115 | Georgia | 2,837,000 | 2009 |
| 116 | Moldova | 2,785,000 | 2009 |
| 117 | Estonia | 2,720,000 | 2009 |
| 118 | Puerto Rico | 2,716,000 | 2009 |
| 119 | Chad | 2,686,000 | 2009 |
| 120 | Armenia | 2,620,000 | 2009 |
| 121 | Niger | 2,599,000 | 2009 |
| 122 | Qatar | 2,472,000 | 2009 |
| 123 | Rwanda | 2,429,000 | 2009 |
| 124 | Gaza Strip | 2,405,000 | 2010 |
| 125 | West Bank | 2,405,000 | 2010 |
| 126 | Malawi | 2,400,000 | 2009 |
| 127 | Mongolia | 2,249,000 | 2009 |
| 128 | Latvia | 2,243,000 | 2009 |
| 129 | Togo | 2,187,000 | 2009 |
| 130 | Mauritania | 2,182,000 | 2009 |
| 131 | Congo, Republic of the | 2,171,000 | 2009 |
| 132 | Slovenia | 2,100,000 | 2009 |
| 133 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1,970,000 | 2009 |
| 134 | Costa Rica | 1,950,000 | 2009 |
| 135 | Macedonia | 1,943,000 | 2009 |
| 136 | Botswana | 1,874,000 | 2009 |
| 137 | Bahrain | 1,578,000 | 2009 |
| 138 | Lebanon | 1,526,000 | 2009 |
| 139 | Turkmenistan | 1,500,000 | 2009 |
| 140 | Gambia, The | 1,433,000 | 2009 |
| 141 | Gabon | 1,373,000 | 2009 |
| 142 | Namibia | 1,217,000 | 2009 |
| 143 | Sierra Leone | 1,160,000 | 2009 |
| 144 | Macau | 1,109,000 | 2010 |
| 145 | Mauritius | 1,087,000 | 2009 |
| 146 | Cyprus | 977,500 | 2009 |
| 147 | Papua New Guinea | 900,000 | 2009 |
| 148 | Liberia | 842,000 | 2009 |
| 149 | Burundi | 838,400 | 2009 |
| 150 | Suriname | 763,900 | 2009 |
| 151 | Montenegro | 752,000 | 2009 |
| 152 | Luxembourg | 719,000 | 2009 |
| 153 | Lesotho | 661,000 | 2009 |
| 154 | Swaziland | 656,000 | 2009 |
| 155 | Somalia | 641,000 | 2009 |
| 156 | Fiji | 640,000 | 2009 |
| 157 | Kosovo | 562,000 | 2007 |
| 158 | Guinea-Bissau | 560,300 | 2009 |
| 159 | Maldives | 461,149 | 2009 |
| 160 | Burma | 448,000 | 2009 |
| 161 | Equatorial Guinea | 445,000 | 2009 |
| 162 | Cuba | 443,000 | 2009 |
| 163 | Brunei | 425,000 | 2009 |
| 164 | Malta | 422,100 | 2009 |
| 165 | Cape Verde | 392,000 | 2009 |
| 166 | Bahamas, The | 358,800 | 2009 |
| 167 | Iceland | 349,000 | 2009 |
| 168 | Barbados | 337,100 | 2009 |
| 169 | Bhutan | 327,100 | 2009 |
| 170 | Guyana | 281,400 | 2005 |
| 171 | French Polynesia | 208,300 | 2009 |
| 172 | New Caledonia | 208,000 | 2009 |
| 173 | Saint Lucia | 176,000 | 2009 |
| 174 | Central African Republic | 168,000 | 2009 |
| 175 | Belize | 161,800 | 2009 |
| 176 | Samoa | 151,000 | 2009 |
| 177 | Eritrea | 141,100 | 2009 |
| 178 | Antigua and Barbuda | 134,900 | 2009 |
| 179 | Djibouti | 128,800 | 2009 |
| 180 | Aruba | 128,000 | 2009 |
| 181 | Vanuatu | 126,500 | 2009 |
| 182 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 121,100 | 2009 |
| 183 | Timor-Leste | 116,000 | 2009 |
| 184 | Dominica | 106,000 | 2009 |
| 185 | Comoros | 100,000 | 2009 |
| 186 | Seychelles | 92,300 | 2009 |
| 187 | Bermuda | 85,000 | 2009 |
| 188 | Jersey | 83,900 | 2004 |
| 189 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 83,000 | 2009 |
| 190 | Virgin Islands | 80,300 | 2005 |
| 191 | Andorra | 64,500 | 2009 |
| 192 | Grenada | 64,000 | 2009 |
| 193 | Sao Tome and Principe | 64,000 | 2009 |
| 194 | Faroe Islands | 57,000 | 2009 |
| 195 | Greenland | 53,500 | 2009 |
| 196 | Tonga | 53,000 | 2009 |
| 197 | Mayotte | 48,100 | 2005 |
| 198 | Guernsey | 43,800 | 2004 |
| 199 | Micronesia, Federated States of | 38,000 | 2009 |
| 200 | Liechtenstein | 35,000 | 2009 |
| 201 | Cayman Islands | 33,800 | 2004 |
| 202 | Solomon Islands | 30,000 | 2009 |
| 203 | Gibraltar | 28,600 | 2009 |
| 204 | Anguilla | 27,000 | 2009 |
| 205 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 25,100 | 2004 |
| 206 | British Virgin Islands | 24,000 | 2009 |
| 207 | San Marino | 24,000 | 2009 |
| 208 | Monaco | 23,000 | 2009 |
| 209 | Northern Mariana Islands | 20,500 | 2004 |
| 210 | Palau | 13,200 | 2009 |
| 211 | Cook Islands | 7,000 | 2009 |
| 212 | Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | 3,300 | 2009 |
| 213 | Montserrat | 3,000 | 2008 |
| 214 | American Samoa | 2,200 | 2004 |
| 215 | Tuvalu | 2,000 | 2009 |
| 216 | Nauru | 1,500 | 2002 |
| 217 | Kiribati | 1,000 | 2009 |
| 218 | Marshall Islands | 1,000 | 2009 |
| 219 | Niue | 600 | 2004 |
| 220 | Norfolk Island | 0 | 2002 |
| 221 | Western Sahara | 0 | 1999 |