Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Adoption of communication technologies was 181,963 in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
181,963
Change on year
up 12.2%
World rank
118th
of 212 countries
All-time high
181,963
in 2023
All-time low
5,130
in 2009
Years of data
59
1960–2023

Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan, 1960–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k196019912023

Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 181,963 for adoption of communication technologies in 2023. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.2% on the previous year and up 90.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan peaked at 181,963 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5,130, in 2009.

Afghanistan ranks 118th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 8,500 7,700 9,300 10
1970s 19,650 16,000 25,300 10
1980s 30,950 25,800 35,000 10
1990s 30,520 29,000 37,000 10
2000s 26,576 5,130 36,700 5
2010s 92,324 13,509 134,636 10
2020s 158,940 145,787 181,963 4

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 115 Lithuania 201,462 compare
  2. 116 Uganda 195,975 compare
  3. 117 Montenegro 192,212 compare
  4. 119 Papua New Guinea 172,691 compare
  5. 120 Albania 165,380 compare
  6. 121 Kyrgyzstan 156,698 compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More reference data data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan?
Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan was 181,963 in 2023, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 181,963 in 2023.
What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 5,130 in 2009.
How does Afghanistan rank for adoption of communication technologies?
Afghanistan ranks 118th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 90.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adoption of communication technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Adoption of communication technologies
Source
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 11,803 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed