Countries by Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People 2026

About This Dataset

Countries ranked by mobile cellular telephone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in 2026, according to ITU World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators data. Countries with rates significantly above 100 — including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia — reflect populations carrying multiple SIM cards simultaneously, either for personal and business use separation, to exploit different operator pricing for calls versus data, or because expatriate workers maintain connections to home-country networks alongside local numbers. The UAE's rate of over 200 subscriptions per 100 people reflects its extraordinarily high share of expatriate residents, many of whom maintain connections across multiple networks, combined with sophisticated business travellers and a population accustomed to operating across international telecommunications systems.

Analysis

The disparity in mobile subscriptions per 100 people reveals significant differences in telecommunications usage across countries. The UAE's rate of 208 subscriptions is notably high, indicative of a large expatriate community and a culture of heavy mobile usage. Saudi Arabia and Russia follow with 192 and 182 subscriptions, respectively, reflecting similar trends of multiple SIM card ownership. In contrast, countries like India, with only 85 subscriptions per 100 people, highlight a stark gap in mobile connectivity. This suggests that while some nations are rapidly adopting mobile technology, others may still face barriers to widespread access, potentially due to economic factors or infrastructure limitations.

Source: Wikipedia

Key Findings

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UAE leads in Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People with 208 in 2026.

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Average Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People in 2026: 153 · median: 154.

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Gap in 2026: UAE is 2.4× larger than India.

Countries by Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People 2026

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Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin

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Data Points

8 categories · 1 year

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Top Value

208

UAE

Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People · 2026

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Metrics

Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People

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Period

2026

Single year snapshot

Methodology & source

Data source: Wikipedia
Coverage: 8 entities · 2026 · 8 observations
Measure: Mobile Subscriptions per 100 People
Last updated: 27 July 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values are shown as reported by the source. Nothing is rescaled, rebased or converted — the only changes are thousand separators and decimals shown to two places.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2026.