According to a recent World Bank infographic, the developing world is now more mobile than the developed world. The spread of mobile usage across low-income regions reflects global trends in pace, access and pervasiveness when it comes to mobile usage. The World Bank takes these factors into account as it documents how: “The number of mobile subscriptions will soon overtake the world’s population.”
We are in the midst of unprecedented mobile phone usage and access. In 2003, 61% of the world’s population had a cell phone signal; by 2010 this amount increased to 90%. As 75% of the world has access to a mobile phone, there are now over 6 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide.
The developing world surpasses developed countries in mobile usage. In 2000, high-income countries accounted for 71% of mobile phone subscriptions whereas developing countries represented 29%. By 2010, the numbers had nearly reversed with developing countries accounting for 77% of subscriptions and developing countries making up 23%.
Developing countries have shown a marked increase in “non-voice usage.” Kenya, Mexico, India, Indonesia and Ukraine have shown strong mobile growth. All of these countries mainly use mobile phones to send text messages and take pictures and video.
The rise in mobile usage will continue to grow. In 2015, the global population is expected to reach over 7 billion, while mobile subscriptions are predicted to exceed 8.5 billion.
View the full “Maximizing Mobile for Development” infographic below and via the World Bank website.
