Phones in 2012: the year in numbers

The world is a huge place, but there is one thing nearly all of it has in common - cell phones. In 2012, nearly 94% of all people, or 6.7 billion had mobile subscriptions. Unique mobile users stood at 4.3 billion and there were 5.3 billion phones in use.

Huge numbers.

What’s more interesting is that for a lot of those people the phone was also a portal to the Internet, a first camera, and so on, and so on.

All of those amazing facts are summarized in the upcoming 2013 Tomi Ahonen Almanac, but some of the numbers are already out. Take a look at those right below, and let them sink in.

GLOBAL MOBILE NUMBERS

Human population . . . . . . . . . 7.1 Billion
Mobile subscriptions . . . . . . . 6.7 Billion is 94% per capita
Unique Mobile Users . . . . . . . 4.3 Billion is 61% per capita
Handsets in use . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 Billion
Smartphones . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Billion is 25% of all handsets
3G Connections . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Billion is 19% of subscriptions and 25% of handsets
WiFi users on mobile . . . . . . 1.1 Billion is 16% of subscriptions and 21% of handsets
SMS active users . . . . . . . . . 5.6 Billion is 83% of subscriptions
Voice call users . . . . . . . . . . 5.4 Billion is 81% of subscriptions
Camera users . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 Billion is 72% of subscriptions
Mobile Ad audience . . . . . . . . 4.0 Billion is 60% of subscriptions, is 56% of planet
MMS active users . . . . . . . . . 2.9 Billion is 43% of subscriptions and 60% of cameraphone users
News active users . . . . . . . . . 2.3 Billion is 34% of subscriptions
Browser (including WAP) . . . . 2.1 Billion is 31% of subscriptions and 84% of all internet users
Premium SMS . . . . . . . . . . . 1.9 Billion is 28% of subscriptions and 34% of all SMS users
HTML browser 'real internet' . . 1.5 Billion is 22% of subscriptions and 60% of all internet users
Search on mobile . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Billion is 19% of subscriptions and 62% of mobile browser users
Gamers (download/browse) . . 1.2 Billion is 18% of subscribers and 57% of mobile browser users
Apps downloaders . . . . . . . . . 1.2 Billion is 18% of subscribers
Social Networking . . . . . . . . . 1.1 Billion is 16% of subscribers and 53% of mobile browser users
Ringback tone subscribers . . . 1.0 Billion is 15% of subscribers

source: Tomi Ahonen Almanac 2013

18 Comments

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posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:12 4

1. Lawliet (Posts: 160; Member since: 02 Jul 2012)

What is unique mobile user ?

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:18 7

2. Firedrops (Posts: 249; Member since: 06 Sep 2011)

That means that the number stated counts people with multiple subscriptions as only one entry.

e.g. Mr Smith has a phone contract in Canada, and concurrently one in USA. It is counted as only one.

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:33 1

6. Cynipap999 (banned) (Posts: 138; Member since: 15 Nov 2012)

Sounds like Mr. Smith has an iPhone and,
since one iPhone equals ½ a regular Smartphone, two halves make a whole. Maybe Mr. Smith should go to Washington and seek fairer legislation to better account for his partial statistics so he's not forevermore considered incomplete??

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 16:39

17. XPERIA-KNIGHT (unregistered)

hahaha good humor lol

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 21:12

18. Nadr1212 (Posts: 741; Member since: 22 Sep 2012)

A unique Mobile user is me!!! DUHH!!!!?!!!!

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:22

3. johnnh (Posts: 37; Member since: 18 Dec 2012)

unique person, in most developed countries they are 5 phones per person

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:23

4. Nathan_ingx (Posts: 4292; Member since: 07 Mar 2012)

Everything in billions and counting...wow!!

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:29 1

5. Cynipap999 (banned) (Posts: 138; Member since: 15 Nov 2012)

How does this study factor and quantify the Trillions of iPhone users around the world who can only use wi-fi and, therefore, do not have Mobile Subscriptions because they only use mobile hotspots set up by 3rd parties?

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 13:02 1

14. Commentator (Posts: 3722; Member since: 16 Aug 2011)

iPhones can definitely use cellular data. I actually know a lot of people with iPhones that also have mobile subscriptions.

I can't believe that you don't know this. Granted, it's possible that you're being sarcastic, but that's pretty hard to believe since nobody is ever sarcastic on the internet.

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:36 1

7. Tsepz_GP (Posts: 1039; Member since: 12 Apr 2012)

Incredible :o quite scary how far the mobile phone has come in the last decade, yet so many companies just dont get how crucial it is to gain an understanding and skills in digital marketing, especially for mobile.

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:37 2

8. Thephonegeek (Posts: 118; Member since: 22 Nov 2012)

Only two days left and "2012" film will be moved to comedy genre.

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 13:04 1

15. Commentator (Posts: 3722; Member since: 16 Aug 2011)

Or the historical documentary genre.

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 09:43

9. apexKBC (Posts: 92; Member since: 10 Dec 2012)

wow!
im gonna die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 10:37

10. rupeshwar (Posts: 5; Member since: 08 Aug 2012)

Human population . . . . . . . . . 7.1 Billion
That includes kids too. So Mobile subscriptions per capita must be more.

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 10:37 1

11. The_Innovation (Posts: 632; Member since: 18 Jul 2012)

Quite a way to keep check on everyone. We have made it easy for them ;)

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 11:33

12. adnankhan (Posts: 5; Member since: 12 Dec 2012)

Interesting statistics. I was hoping the article would give the numbers of each kind of phones sold this year.

Adnan

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 11:58

13. iDroid8 (Posts: 155; Member since: 16 Oct 2012)

Just 81% of people use their phones for voice calls
Why do the others own them? To check the time?

posted on 19 Dec 2012, 13:05 1

16. Commentator (Posts: 3722; Member since: 16 Aug 2011)

Well yeah, you can get a cell phone for about the same price as a cheap watch these days.