Southern Africa excels in mobile connectivity, boasting 183% connectivity, outpacing the rest of the world

Key takeaways:

  • Southern Africa is the global leader in mobile connectivity, with 183% mobile connections compared to its population, significantly ahead of all other regions.
  • The world’s most connected regions are outside North America and Western Europe, with Eastern Europe (144%), Eastern Asia (133%), and Southern Europe (131%) leading the charge after Southern Africa.
  • Africa is deeply divided in mobile adoption. While Southern Africa dominates, Eastern Africa (79%) and Middle Africa (66%) have a lower penetration.
  • Some regions have more mobile connections than people. The fact that multiple regions exceed 100% connectivity means that many individuals own multiple SIM cards, a trend driven by business needs, mobile money, and telecom competition.
  • Western Africa, at 85% connectivity, is doing better than Eastern Africa but still lags behind the global average, signaling potential for more growth in mobile adoption.

With an astonishing 183% connectivity rate, Southern Africa is the leader in global mobile connectivity, surpassing every other region. This means there are almost two mobile connections per person in Southern Africa, highlighting a massive penetration of mobile technology in the region. The closest contender, Eastern Europe, stands at 144%, followed by Eastern Asia (133%) and Southern Europe (131%).
While Northern Europe, South-Eastern Asia, and North America show strong mobile adoption, Africa remains a continent of two extremes. Eastern Africa (79%) and Middle Africa (66%) lag far behind Southern Africa, showing clear disparities in infrastructure, affordability, and mobile accessibility.

Source:

GSMA Intelligence

Period:

2025
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