Maldives: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Maldives' mobile cellular subscriptions rose 37,052 on 2023 (from 744,814 to 781,866).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +24,827 and a typical year strayed about 44,977 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 122,088 in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 110,334 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 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 19% 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 2024, Maldives had the 137th 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 Maldives in the 2024 ranking

• Montenegro — 134th of 151: 1.42 million
• Suriname — 135th of 151: 901,670
• Bhutan — 136th of 151: 789,606
• Malta — 138th of 151: 766,620
• Cabo Verde — 139th of 151: 587,026
• Brunei Darussalam — 140th of 151: 546,615

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 53 values

Mobile cellular subscriptions in nearby economies

• Bangladesh — 187.58 million (2024)
• Bhutan — 789,606 (2024)
• India — 1.15 billion (2024)
• Nepal — 29.61 million (2024)
• Sri Lanka — 30.62 million (2024)

More infrastructure data for Maldives

• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 148.14 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 11,998 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 2.27 (2024)
• Air transport, registered carrier departures worldwide — 33,484 (2023)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 1.41 million (2023)
• Air transport, freight (million ton-km) — 29.46 (2023)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 85.24% (2024)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 2.9% (2024)
• Scientific and technical journal articles — 31.74 (2023)

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 Maldives's mobile cellular subscriptions?

781,866 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How does Maldives rank?

137th highest of 151 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Maldives' mobile cellular subscriptions rose 37,052 on 2023 (from 744,814 to 781,866). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +24,827 and a typical year strayed about 44,977 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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, 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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