Ecuador: Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Ecuador's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 0.57 on 2023 (from 101.03 to 101.6).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3.37 and a typical year strayed about 7.19 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below 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 19.07 in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 23.98 in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 2.27 a year. A straight line explains 90% 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 2024, Ecuador had the 113th highest value of the 151 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 Ecuador in the 2024 ranking

• Hungary — 110th of 151: 104.58
• Belgium — 111th of 151: 103.91
• Brazil — 112th of 151: 101.93
• Iraq — 114th of 151: 100.08
• Nepal — 115th of 151: 99.85
• Bhutan — 116th of 151: 99.76

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 weighted average.

All 53 values

Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in nearby economies

• Antigua and Barbuda — 200.54 (2022)
• Argentina — 140.24 (2024)
• Aruba — 130.65 (2022)
• Bahamas, The — 96.68 (2024)
• Barbados — 114.58 (2022)
• Belize — 67.18 (2022)
• Bolivia — 98.03 (2024)
• Brazil — 101.93 (2024)
• British Virgin Islands — 93.13 (2024)
• Cayman Islands

More infrastructure data for Ecuador

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 1.22 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 6.72 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 40,797 (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 120.01 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 4.57 million (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 18.43 million (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$162.23 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 3.86% (2025)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 371 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Ecuador's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)?

101.6 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does Ecuador rank?

113th highest of 151 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) unusual for Ecuador?

In 2024, Ecuador's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 0.57 on 2023 (from 101.03 to 101.6). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +3.37 and a typical year strayed about 7.19 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IT.CEL.SETS.P2, 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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