What share of people worldwide (age 10+) own a mobile phone?
Answer82%
Ownership is over 95% in high-income economies but only 53% in low-income economies.
Source: International Telecommunication Union, Facts and Figures 2025 (2025) itu.int
Tech · Facts & sources
Telecom facts & stats
6 sourced facts about telecommunications, each with the context behind the number. 4 more are in today's round and appear here after it closes.
The basics
What share of U.S. international data capacity is carried by satellites?
Answerjust 0.37%
Almost all international data travels through fiber-optic submarine cables, which carry far more data at a fraction of satellites' cost.
Source: TeleGeography, Submarine Cable FAQs (citing FCC data) www2.telegeography.com
Going deeper
What share of the world's population was covered by a 5G network in 2025?
Answer55%
5G only began commercial rollout in 2019; Europe leads with 74% of its population covered.
Source: International Telecommunication Union, Facts and Figures 2025 (2025) itu.int
How many kilometers of submarine cable are in service globally?
Answerover 1.5 million km
For most of the ocean crossing, a cable is only about as wide as a garden hose.
Source: TeleGeography, Submarine Cable FAQs www2.telegeography.com
Expert level
What is the global average monthly mobile broadband data use per subscription?
Answer15.3 GB
Averages range from 2.2 GB in low-income countries to 17.9 GB in high-income ones; mobile traffic has grown about 19% a year since 2021.
Source: International Telecommunication Union, Facts and Figures 2025 (2025) itu.int
Globally, what share of women (age 10+) own a mobile phone, versus 87% of men?
Answer78%
Women are 10% less likely than men to own a mobile phone, an improvement from 12% in 2022.
Source: International Telecommunication Union, Facts and Figures 2025 (2025) itu.int
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