Montenegro: Mobile cellular subscriptions

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Montenegro's mobile cellular subscriptions rose 7.8% on 2023 (from 1.31 million to 1.42 million).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2023), the average change was +6.1% and a typical year strayed about 12.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 39.8% in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.5% in 2012. 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 40,037 a year. A straight line explains 82% 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, Montenegro had the 135th 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 Montenegro in the 2024 ranking

• Timor-Leste — 131st of 151: 1.63 million
• Cyprus — 132nd of 151: 1.51 million
• Macao SAR, China — 133rd of 151: 1.45 million
• Suriname — 135th of 151: 901,670
• Bhutan — 136th of 151: 789,606
• Maldives — 137th of 151: 781,866

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 21 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 Montenegro

• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 35.54% (2024)
• Scientific and technical journal articles — 254.67 (2023)
• Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) — 221.69 (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 88.88% (2024)
• Railways, passengers carried (million passenger-km) — 27.8 (2020)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 192,212 (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 30.1 (2024)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$193.63 million (2025)
• ICT service exports (% of service exports, BoP) — 6.3% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Montenegro's mobile cellular subscriptions?

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

How has it changed since 2004?

It is up 192.59% from 483,766 in 2004 (5.51% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.42 million in 2024 and the lowest 483,766 in 2004.

How does Montenegro rank?

135th highest of 151 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Montenegro's mobile cellular subscriptions rose 7.8% on 2023 (from 1.31 million to 1.42 million). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (2005 to 2023), the average change was +6.1% and a typical year strayed about 12.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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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