Worldwide Mobile Phone Penetration Rates

One of the best means of measuring cell phone use in certain countries relates to how many people are using them. It's even more telling when that number is compared with the number of people who live in those countries. There are all sorts of mobile phone penetration rates that are especially notable.

The penetration rate is a valuable means of measuring cell phone use. It relates to the estimated percentage of people in the country who have a cell phone and cell phone service. The main measure here is that of how many mobile phone service subscriptions are used per one hundred people in the country. Remember, some people may have more than one subscription with different providers.

The highest penetration rate in the world belongs to Luxembourg. Although there is an approximate number of about 750,000 people who use cell phones here the penetration rate is approximately 160%. Another small country, Lithuania, has a close rank. It is second with a penetration rate of about 145% for its nearly five million subscribers.

Various larger areas have large penetration rates too. Italy has a 145% rate for more than eighty million subscribers. Ireland has a 116% rate for its five million subscribers. Hong Kong has a rate of around 140%, and Australia's rate is at exactly 100%.

Some of the largest countries in the world have weak penetration rates though. Even though there are more than half a billion subscribers in China to cell phone use the penetration rate there is only about 42%. Also, despite India's 300 million subscribers the penetration rate there is only 26%. That country has been growing in terms of cell phone use though, but it still has a great way to go to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of penetration.

Although competition is strong in various North American markets penetration rates are still weak. In the United States the rate is around 84%, and it is only around 60% in Canada. Mexico's rate is closer to 50% despite having four different major providers.

Overall, the penetration rate throughout the world is relatively strong. It is estimated that about three billion people in the world have some form of mobile phone coverage as subscribers. This relates to a little over a half of the world's population. With all of the providers popping up around the world and cell phones becoming more affordable it is no surprise that this rate is expected to only get higher over time.

The mobile phone penetration rates around the world have been increasing over time. These rates are especially different in various countries, but all sorts of notable places have high levels. In fact, these numbers will probably end up growing in the future in all parts of the world, thus showing how strong the mobile phone industry is around the world.