Curaçao: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Curaçao's mobile cellular subscriptions rose 1.2% on 2022 (from 171,875 to 173,926).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2022), the average change was −1.2% and a typical year strayed about 2.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 2.3% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 7.7% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is downward, about 2,697 a year. A straight line explains 79% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Curaçao had the 21st highest value of the 23 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Curaçao in the 2023 ranking

• Djibouti — 18th of 23: 558,607
• French Polynesia — 19th of 23: 333,905
• Vanuatu — 20th of 23: 286,107
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 22nd of 23: 55,592
• Palau — 23rd of 23: 24,000

What this measures

Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions are subscriptions to a public mobile telephone service that provide access to the PSTN using cellular technology. The indicator includes (and is split into) the number of postpaid subscriptions, and the number of active prepaid accounts (i.e. that have been used during the last three months). The indicator applies to all mobile cellular subscriptions that offer voice communications. It excludes subscriptions via data cards or USB modems, subscriptions to public mobile data services, private trunked mobile radio, telepoint, radio paging and telemetry services.

Limitations: Operators have traditionally been the main source of telecommunications data, so information on subscriptions has been widely available for most countries. This gives a general idea of access, but a more precise measure is the penetration rate - the share of households with access to telecommunications. During the past few years more information on information and communication technology use has become available from household and business surveys. Also important are data on actual use of telecommunications services. Ideally, statistics on telecommunications (and other information and communications technologies) should be compiled for all three measures: subscriptions, access, and use.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 15 values

Mobile cellular subscriptions in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 186,182 (2022)
• Argentina — 64.08 million (2024)
• Aruba — 140,815 (2022)
• Bahamas, The — 387,960 (2024)
• Barbados — 323,482 (2022)
• Belize — 270,536 (2022)
• Bolivia — 12.17 million (2024)
• Brazil — 216.08 million (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 36,760 (2024)
• Cayman Islands — 99,737 (2022)
• Chile — 26.22 million (2024)

More infrastructure data for Curaçao

• Trademark applications, nonresident, by count — 2,360 (2024)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 93.8 (2023)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 45,974 (2023)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 24.79 (2023)
• Secure Internet servers — 791 (2024)
• Secure Internet servers (per 1 million people) — 5,072 (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$54.89 million (2023)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 3.55% (2023)
• Container port traffic (TEU: 20 foot equivalent units) — 98,100 (2024)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Curaçao's mobile cellular subscriptions?

173,926 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is down 13.51% from 201,097 in 2009 (1.03% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 206,294 in 2011 and the lowest 168,007 in 2021.

How does Curaçao rank?

21st highest of 23 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in mobile cellular subscriptions unusual for Curaçao?

In 2023, Curaçao's mobile cellular subscriptions rose 1.2% on 2022 (from 171,875 to 173,926). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2022), the average change was −1.2% and a typical year strayed about 2.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IT.CEL.SETS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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