Almost a billion people have no phone

12. 11. 2021

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A mobile phone is considered by most people to be the most important thing. They use it to communicate, pay, entertain themselves and use countless apps. Few people know that it’s been half a century since the first mobile phone call was made. It was made on April 3, 1973, by Motorola employee Martin Bell. Now more than 5 billion people use mobile services and more than half of them are smartphone users.

Do you know how many people are without a phone?

Is it even possible to function without a phone these days? Since various applications are used for everyday tasks and communication with the authorities, it is unthinkable for many people not to have a phone. Yet many people choose not to own a phone, and it is not just senior citizens or people without friends or without a home. 

Let’s start with the countries that have the most phones. South Korea is the world leader in smartphone adoption – it is the only country where 100% of the adult population has a mobile phone. In South Korea, 95% of adults own a smartphone and 5% have a regular mobile phone.

The picture is similar in Israel, the Netherlands and Sweden, where more than 85% of adults have smartphones and just 2% have no mobile phone at all.

In Poland and Russia, where 30% and 34% of adults use regular mobile phones, smartphone ownership rates are significantly lower at 63% and 59% respectively. This is according to data from the Pew Research Center.

Where do small people phones least?

It’s mainly developing countries. India also has a small number of mobile phones. 75% of adults in India do not have a smartphone, although 40% own a mobile phone.