Russian Federation: Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Russian Federation's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 5.26 on 2023 (from 180.84 to 186.1).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +6.03 and a typical year strayed about 10.59 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 32.21 in 2005 and the biggest yearly fall was 23.69 in 2011. 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 3.24 a year. A straight line explains 85% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 187.6 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 7.25, against 9.8 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Russian Federation had the 7th 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 Russian Federation in the 2024 ranking

• Montenegro — 3rd of 151: 221.69
• United Arab Emirates — 4th of 151: 203.21
• Macao SAR, China — 5th of 151: 201.14
• Côte d'Ivoire — 7th of 151: 183.88
• South Africa — 8th of 151: 179.34
• Israel — 9th of 151: 177.39

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

• Albania — 89.13 (2024)
• Andorra — 155.69 (2024)
• Armenia — 134.89 (2024)
• Austria — 124.46 (2024)
• Azerbaijan — 109.54 (2024)
• Belarus — 131.12 (2024)
• Belgium — 103.91 (2024)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 121.23 (2024)
• Bulgaria — 118.07 (2024)
• Croatia — 121.73 (2024)

More infrastructure data for Russian Federation

• Mobile cellular subscriptions — 269.52 million (2024)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions — 20.82 million (2023)
• Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people) — 14.31 (2023)
• Medium and high-tech exports (% manufactured exports) — 29.84% (2024)
• Individuals using the Internet (% of population) — 94.37% (2024)
• Patent applications, nonresidents — 5,196 (2024)
• Patent applications, residents — 21,502 (2024)
• Air transport, passengers carried — 98.87 million (2023)
• ICT service exports (BoP, current US$) — US$2.7 billion (2025)

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 Russian Federation's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people)?

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

How does Russian Federation rank?

7th highest of 151 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Russian Federation's mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people) rose 5.26 on 2023 (from 180.84 to 186.1). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +6.03 and a typical year strayed about 10.59 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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.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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