Eritrea: Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Eritrea's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 5.37 on 2021 (from 53.76 to 59.12).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2021), the average change was +1.18 and a typical year strayed about 2.76 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 14.26 in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.96 in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is upward, about 6.02 a year. A straight line explains 94% of the movement over 9 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 2022, Eritrea had the 27th highest value of the 33 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 Eritrea in the 2022 ranking

• Samoa — 24th of 33: 62.4
• Solomon Islands — 25th of 33: 62.07
• Tonga — 26th of 33: 61.73
• Equatorial Guinea — 28th of 33: 49.54
• Marshall Islands — 29th of 33: 39.71
• Central African Republic — 30th of 33: 38.82

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 50 values

Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) in nearby economies

• Angola — 69.7 (2024)
• Benin — 125.94 (2024)
• Botswana — 164 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 116.59 (2024)
• Burundi — 63.16 (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 111.84 (2024)
• Cameroon — 108.21 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 38.82 (2022)
• Chad — 72.93 (2024)
• Comoros — 109.86 (2023)

More infrastructure data for Eritrea

• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 2.02 million (2022)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 14.67% (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 68,216 (2022)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 2 (2022)
• Scientific and technical journal articles — 29.08 (2023)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 14.35% (2020)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions — 5,639 (2022)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) — 0.17 (2022)
• Secure Internet servers — 7 (2024)
• Secure Internet servers (per 1 million people)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

59.12 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does Eritrea rank?

27th highest of 33 economies with data for 2022.

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

In 2022, Eritrea's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 5.37 on 2021 (from 53.76 to 59.12). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2021), the average change was +1.18 and a typical year strayed about 2.76 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

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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