Faroe Islands: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Faroe Islands' mobile cellular subscriptions fell 2,067 on 2021 (from 59,213 to 57,146).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +1,926 and a typical year strayed about 3,088 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below 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 10,250 in 2002 and the biggest yearly fall was 5,069 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 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2022, Faroe Islands had the 26th 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 Faroe Islands in the 2022 ranking

• Virgin Islands (US) — 23rd of 33: 79,121
• Greenland — 24th of 33: 66,425
• Tonga — 25th of 33: 64,838
• Dominica — 27th of 33: 56,929
• San Marino — 28th of 33: 41,000
• Gibraltar — 29th of 33: 36,708

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 51 values

Mobile cellular subscriptions in nearby economies

• Albania — 2.49 million (2024)
• Andorra — 127,571 (2024)
• Armenia — 4.01 million (2024)
• Austria — 11.35 million (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 11.32 million (2024)
• Belarus — 11.88 million (2024)
• Belgium — 12.2 million (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 3.84 million (2024)
• Bulgaria — 7.98 million (2024)
• Croatia — 4.72 million (2024)
• Cyprus — 1.51 million (2024)

More infrastructure data for Faroe Islands

• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 14,940 (2022)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 27.66 (2022)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 105.8 (2022)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 97.58% (2017)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions — 18,681 (2022)
• Fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) — 34.59 (2022)
• Liner shipping connectivity index (maximum value in 2004 = 100) — 6.04 (2021)
• Secure Internet servers — 624 (2024)
• Secure Internet servers (per 1 million people) — 11,420 (2024)

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 Faroe Islands's mobile cellular subscriptions?

57,146 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does Faroe Islands rank?

26th highest of 33 economies with data for 2022.

Is the latest change in mobile cellular subscriptions unusual for Faroe Islands?

In 2022, Faroe Islands' mobile cellular subscriptions fell 2,067 on 2021 (from 59,213 to 57,146). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +1,926 and a typical year strayed about 3,088 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below 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, 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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