Phones in 2012: the year in numbers

posted by Victor H.

Dec 19, 2012, 8:57 AM

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

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18 Comments

13. iDroid8

Posts: 155; Member since: Oct 16, 2012

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 11:58 AM 0

16. Commentator

Posts: 3723; Member since: Aug 16, 2011

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 1:05 PM 1

12. adnankhan

Posts: 5; Member since: Dec 12, 2012

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 11:33 AM 0

11. The_Innovation

Posts: 649; Member since: Jul 18, 2012

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 10:37 AM 1

10. rupeshwar

Posts: 5; Member since: Aug 08, 2012

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 10:37 AM 0

9. apexKBC

Posts: 92; Member since: Dec 10, 2012

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 9:43 AM 0

8. Thephonegeek

Posts: 118; Member since: Nov 22, 2012

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

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 9:37 AM 2

15. Commentator

Or the historical documentary genre.

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 1:04 PM 1

7. Tsepz_GP

Posts: 1227; Member since: Apr 12, 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 Dec 19, 2012, 9:36 AM 1

5. Cynipap999

Posts: 138; Member since: Nov 15, 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 Dec 19, 2012, 9:29 AM 1

14. Commentator

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 Dec 19, 2012, 1:02 PM 1

4. Nathan_ingx

Posts: 4769; Member since: Mar 07, 2012

Everything in billions and counting...wow!!

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 9:23 AM 0

1. Lawliet

Posts: 160; Member since: Jul 02, 2012

What is unique mobile user ?

posted on Dec 19, 2012, 9:12 AM 4

2. Firedrops

Posts: 254; Member since: Sep 06, 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 Dec 19, 2012, 9:18 AM 7

6. Cynipap999

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??