eSIM and Connectivity Statistics 2026
Last updated: 17 September 2026 · Sources: ITU, GSMA and DataReportal
This page brings together the latest figures on eSIM adoption, internet use, mobile networks, WhatsApp and the Middle East and North Africa. Every figure comes from an official body or a recognized industry report, and each one is linked to the source it was read from. The Sources section lists when each report was published and which period its data covers.
Key statistics at a glance
- 5% of smartphones worldwide used an eSIM at the end of 2025, and GSMA expects 10% by the end of 2026 (GSMA).
- By 2030, eSIM smartphone connections are expected to outnumber connections on removable SIM cards (GSMA).
- 6.0 billion people, 74% of the world, are online in 2025, while 2.2 billion remain offline (ITU).
- There are 9.2 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions, or 112 for every 100 people (ITU).
- 5G reaches 55% of the world's population, but 13% in the Arab States (ITU).
- 54% of online adults use WhatsApp every month (DataReportal).
- 308 million people in the Middle East and North Africa use mobile internet (GSMA).
- Mobile technologies generated $7.6 trillion in 2025, 6.4% of global GDP (GSMA).
eSIM adoption statistics
An eSIM is a SIM built into the device, so a mobile plan can be added without a physical card. What is an eSIM? explains how it works. GSMA is the body that publishes eSIM adoption figures, and the numbers below come from its public summary of GSMA Intelligence data, published on 1 May 2026.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global eSIM smartphone penetration, end of 2025 | 5% | GSMA, 2026 |
| Global eSIM smartphone penetration, end of 2026 (forecast) | 10% | GSMA, 2026 |
| Global eSIM smartphone penetration, end of 2027 (forecast) | About 20%, as the 2026 share doubles again | GSMA, 2026 |
| eSIM versus removable SIM, 2030 (forecast) | eSIM smartphone connections outnumber removable SIM connections | GSMA, 2026 |
| Consumer awareness of eSIM | Up from 25% to 60% in GSMA Intelligence surveys | GSMA, 2026 |
| Consumers interested in eSIM | More than half | GSMA, 2026 |
| Aware consumers who first learned of eSIM from their own operator | 8% | GSMA, 2026 |
| Mobile operators offering commercial eSIM for smartphones | 73% | GSMA, 2026 |
| Activation traffic after an eSIM-only iPhone launch (one North American operator with 80 million+ subscribers) | 5 times higher on day one, up 130% in week one, up more than 300% in month one | GSMA, 2026 |
GSMA points to two changes in late 2025 behind the jump: Apple took its eSIM-only iPhone model to markets worldwide, and Chinese operators launched eSIM for smartphones, a market that had until then been limited to wearables and IoT devices.
Awareness has moved well ahead of use. Sixty percent of consumers know about eSIM, yet only 5% of smartphones used one at the end of 2025, and just 8% of aware consumers first heard about it from their own operator.
For travel, a Numero eSIM data plan covers 200+ destinations, and a Full eSIM adds calls and a working phone number on the same line.
Internet use and mobile coverage worldwide
ITU's Facts and Figures 2025 is the reference set for global connectivity. Figures are 2025 estimates unless stated.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| People online | 6.0 billion, 74% of the world (up from 5.8 billion and 71% in 2024) | ITU, 2025 |
| People offline | 2.2 billion, most of them in low- and middle-income countries | ITU, 2025 |
| Year-on-year growth in internet use | 3.3%, up from 2.9% the year before | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile phone ownership, ages 10 and over | 82% | ITU, 2025 |
| 5G population coverage | 55% of the world, up from early commercial launches in 2019 | ITU, 2025 |
| 4G population coverage | 93% of the world | ITU, 2025 |
| 3G-or-better population coverage | 96% of the world | ITU, 2025 |
| Unique mobile users, April 2026 | 5.83 billion, 70.4% of the global population | DataReportal, mid-2026 |
| Mobile's contribution to the global economy, 2025 | $7.6 trillion, 6.4% of GDP | GSMA Mobile Economy 2026 |
Mobile subscriptions and traffic
Coverage shows where networks reach. Subscriptions and traffic show what people actually hold and use.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile-cellular subscriptions worldwide | 9.2 billion | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 people | 112 | ITU, 2025 |
| Highest and lowest regional penetration | CIS 159 per 100 people; Africa 92 per 100 | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 people | 99 worldwide; 132 in the Americas; 56 in Africa | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile broadband as a share of all mobile subscriptions | 89%, up from under 50% in 2015 | ITU, 2025 |
| Share of mobile broadband subscriptions on 5G | 36% | ITU, 2025 |
| Average yearly growth in mobile broadband traffic since 2021 | 19%, against 16% for fixed broadband | ITU, 2025 |
At 99 mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 people, there are now almost as many mobile broadband subscriptions as there are people in the world.
The usage gap: coverage is not use
Networks reach far more people than use them. ITU's 2025 figures show where the gap sits.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Global gender parity score for internet use | 0.92, the same as in 2019 | ITU, 2025 |
| Men online compared with women | About 280 million more men than women | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile phone ownership by gender, ages 10 and over | 78% of women and 87% of men (parity score 0.90) | ITU, 2025 |
| Women's likelihood of owning a mobile phone | 10% less likely than men, down from 12% in 2022 | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile phone ownership in low-income economies, ages 10 and over | 53% | ITU, 2025 |
| Phone ownership versus internet use in Africa | 66% own a mobile phone; 36% are online | ITU, 2025 |
| People with no mobile broadband network at all | About 312 million (4% of the world), almost half of them in Africa | ITU, 2025 |
Africa shows the gap most clearly: 30 percentage points separate phone ownership from internet use.
WhatsApp usage statistics
WhatsApp is one of the most used apps in the world, and messaging is close to universal among people who are online.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Online adults using WhatsApp each month | 54% | DataReportal, Digital 2026 |
| Respondents who name WhatsApp their favourite social platform | 17.4% | DataReportal, Digital 2026 |
| Age group where WhatsApp becomes the top favourite platform | 35 and over | DataReportal, Digital 2026 |
| WhatsApp's global rank by app opens | 2nd, behind YouTube | DataReportal, mid-2026 |
| Times users open WhatsApp per day | More than 20 on average | DataReportal, Digital 2026 |
| Average daily time in WhatsApp | 59 minutes per user | DataReportal, Digital 2026 |
| Daily open rate among Android users | 85.1% | DataReportal, Digital 2026 |
| Online adults using chat and messenger apps each month | 93.6% | DataReportal, mid-2026 |
To use WhatsApp on a number from another country, see Numero eSIM virtual numbers for WhatsApp and the full range of virtual mobile numbers.
Middle East and North Africa mobile statistics
ITU reports on the Arab States region and GSMA on the Middle East and North Africa. The two groupings are not identical, so compare figures within one source.
| Statistic | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Internet use, Arab States, 2025 | 70%, in line with the global average | ITU, 2025 |
| Mobile phone ownership versus internet use, Arab States | Ownership is 14 percentage points higher than internet use | ITU, 2025 |
| 5G population coverage, Arab States | 13% | ITU, 2025 |
| People using mobile internet in MENA | 308 million | GSMA MENA 2025 |
| MENA mobile internet users connecting over 4G | 67% | GSMA MENA 2025 |
| MENA mobile internet subscribers, 2030 (forecast) | 378 million, 52% of the population | GSMA MENA 2025 |
| Mobile's contribution to the MENA economy, 2024 | $350 billion, 5.7% of regional GDP | GSMA MENA 2025 |
5G coverage in the Arab States is 13%, against 55% worldwide, while 4G carries 67% of MENA mobile internet users. Numero eSIM data plans name the operator and network on every plan, including for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and the wider Middle East.
Mobile economy by region
GSMA publishes one Mobile Economy report per region. Read side by side, they give the same measures for every part of the world.
| Region | Mobile contribution | Share of GDP | Forecast | Regional headline | Data year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World | $7.6 trillion | 6.4% | $11.3 trillion by 2030 | Around 70% of people are unique mobile subscribers; 45% of operators treat AI monetisation as a strategic priority | 2025 |
| Asia Pacific | $1.0 trillion | 5.9% | $1.4 trillion by 2030 | 1.5 billion 5G connections expected by 2030, about a quarter of the world total | 2025 |
| China | $1.5 trillion | 7.2% | $2.1 trillion by 2030 | 1.7 billion 5G connections expected by 2030; 5G-Advanced live in more than 330 cities, serving 10 million users | 2025 |
| Europe | €1.1 trillion | Not stated | €1.6 trillion by 2030 | 5G adoption set to reach 88% by the end of the decade | 2025 |
| North America | $1.6 trillion | 5.0% | $3.7 trillion by 2030, 10.2% of GDP | 5G is 60% of mobile connections in the United States and Canada | 2024 |
| Latin America | $600 billion | 8.6% | $700 billion by 2030 | 5G adoption projected to reach 50% by 2030 | 2025 |
| Middle East and North Africa | $350 billion | 5.7% | 378 million mobile internet subscribers by 2030 | 308 million people online through mobile; 67% connect over 4G | 2024 |
| Africa | $240 billion | 7.8% | $290 billion by 2030 | Almost 1 billion people, 63% of the population, do not yet use mobile internet despite wide coverage | 2025 |
| Eurasia | $270 billion | 8.1% | $300 billion by 2030 | 5G to reach 30% of connections by 2030; commercial 5G in nine countries, led by Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan at 4% to 5% adoption | 2025 |
| Caribbean | $21 billion | 8.1% | $23 billion by 2030 | 38% of operators have launched at least one AI tool | 2025 |
Source: GSMA, The Mobile Economy 2026 and its regional editions. Middle East and North Africa figures come from The Mobile Economy MENA 2025; North America figures are 2024 data.
Internet use and 5G coverage by ITU region
The same two measures for every region and income group, from one source, so the comparison is like for like. Both are 2025 estimates.
| Region or group | Internet use | 5G population coverage |
|---|---|---|
| World | 74% | 55% |
| Europe | 88% to 93% | 74% |
| Americas | 88% to 93% | 60% |
| CIS | 88% to 93% | 8% |
| Asia-Pacific | 77% | 70% |
| Arab States | 70% | 13% |
| Africa | 36% | 12% |
| High-income countries | 94% | 84% |
| Low-income countries | 23% | 4% |
| Least developed countries (LDCs) | 34% | Not stated |
| Landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) | 38% | Not stated |
Source: ITU, Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2025. ITU publishes Europe, the Americas and the CIS as a single band of 88% to 93% for internet use.
Digital statistics by country
Twelve markets across every region. All figures refer to October 2025, so they can be compared directly.
| Country | Region | Population | Internet users | Internet use | Mobile connections | Connections vs population | Social media user identities | Identities vs population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | North America | 348m | 324m | 93.1% | 417m | 120% | 254m | 73.0% |
| United Kingdom | Europe | 69.7m | 68.1m | 97.8% | 99.3m | 143% | 55.5m | 79.7% |
| Germany | Europe | 83.9m | 78.5m | 93.5% | 110m | 131% | 64.7m | 77.1% |
| Turkey | Europe | 87.7m | 77.5m | 88.3% | 81.9m | 93.3% | 62.3m | 70.9% |
| Saudi Arabia | MENA | 34.7m | 34.4m | 99.0% | 48.7m | 140% | 38.6m | 111% |
| United Arab Emirates | MENA | 11.4m | 11.3m | 99.0% | 23.0m | 202% | 12.5m | 110% |
| Jordan | MENA | 11.5m | 10.6m | 92.5% | 10.1m | 87.7% | 6.80m | 59.2% |
| Egypt | MENA | 119m | 98.2m | 82.7% | 121m | 102% | 51.6m | 43.4% |
| India | Asia-Pacific | 1.47bn | 1.03bn | 70.0% | 1.06bn | 72.5% | 500m | 34.1% |
| Indonesia | Asia-Pacific | 286m | 230m | 80.5% | 331m | 116% | 180m | 62.9% |
| Brazil | Latin America | 213m | 185m | 86.9% | 217m | 102% | 150m | 70.4% |
| Nigeria | Africa | 239m | 109m | 45.5% | 165m | 69.2% | 47.8m | 20.0% |
Source: DataReportal (We Are Social and Meltwater), Digital 2026 country reports. Mobile connections exceed population wherever people hold more than one SIM. Social media user identities count accounts rather than unique people, so they can also exceed population.
Sources
Each source is listed with its publication date and the period its data refers to.
| Source | Publisher | Published | Data refers to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measuring digital development: Facts and Figures 2025 | International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations agency | 2025 | 2025 estimates |
| eSIM mass market deployment moves from forecast to fact | GSMA | 1 May 2026 | GSMA Intelligence data: end-2025 actuals and 2026 to 2030 forecasts |
| The Mobile Economy 2026 and regional editions | GSMA | 2026 (North America figures are 2024 data) | 2025 actuals, forecasts to 2030 |
| The Mobile Economy Middle East and North Africa 2025 | GSMA | 2025 | 2024 actuals, forecasts to 2030 |
| Digital 2026 Mid-Year Global Update Report | DataReportal | April 2026 | April 2026 |
| Digital 2026: 2 in 3 people on Earth now use social media | DataReportal (We Are Social and Meltwater) | 15 October 2025 | October 2025; platform behaviour from GWI Q4 2025 and Similarweb |
| Digital 2026 country reports | DataReportal (We Are Social and Meltwater) | 2026 | October 2025 |
How to cite this page
Numero eSIM (2026). eSIM and Connectivity Statistics 2026. Updated 17 September 2026. https://www.numeroesim.com/esim-and-connectivity-statistics
When you use a figure, please credit the original source named beside it as well.
FAQs
What percentage of smartphones use eSIM?
About 5% of smartphones worldwide used an eSIM at the end of 2025, according to GSMA Intelligence. GSMA expects the share to reach 10% by the end of 2026 and to double again in 2027.
Will eSIM replace physical SIM cards?
GSMA forecasts that by 2030, eSIM smartphone connections will outnumber connections on removable SIM cards. Already, 73% of mobile operators offer commercial eSIM for smartphones.
How many people use the internet in 2025?
6.0 billion people, or 74% of the world's population, according to ITU. That is up from 5.8 billion, or 71%, in 2024.
How many people are still offline?
2.2 billion people remain offline in 2025, most of them in low- and middle-income countries, according to ITU.
How many mobile subscriptions are there worldwide?
ITU counts 9.2 billion mobile-cellular subscriptions in 2025, or 112 for every 100 people. Subscriptions outnumber people because many people hold more than one SIM.
What share of the world has 5G coverage?
5G covers 55% of the world's population in 2025, according to ITU. Coverage is much lower in the Arab States (13%), Africa (12%) and the CIS region (8%).
How many people use WhatsApp?
DataReportal reports that 54% of online adults use WhatsApp each month. Users open it more than 20 times a day and spend 59 minutes in it on average.
How many people use mobile internet in the Middle East and North Africa?
308 million, according to GSMA's Mobile Economy MENA 2025 report, with 67% connecting over 4G. GSMA forecasts 378 million mobile internet subscribers by 2030, 52% of the population.
Where do these statistics come from?
Only from official bodies and recognized industry reports: ITU, the United Nations agency for digital technologies; GSMA and GSMA Intelligence; and DataReportal. Each figure is linked to its source, and the Sources section lists publication dates and data periods.
