MTN has reached 301.3 million subscribers across its 16 markets, becoming the first telecommunications operator in Africa to hit the milestone, with a. customer base now accounting for nearly one in every five Africans.
The feat is a remarkable penetration rate given that only an estimated 416 million of the population, including children and the elderly, are not active mobile users. It also highlights the scale of MTN’s infrastructure, commercial reach, and long-term investment strategy. As of November 2025, Africa’s population is estimated at 1.56 billion people, meaning roughly 19.3% of all Africans rely on MTN for connectivity.
Much of this growth is concentrated in the company’s biggest markets. Nigeria leads with 85.4 million subscribers, followed by South Africa with 39.8 million, Ghana with 30.5 million, and Uganda with nearly 30 million. Together, these four countries contribute more than 185 million customers—over 61% of MTN’s total subscriber base.
“We are particularly pleased to have crossed a formative milestone in connecting over 300 million customers across our markets,” said MTN Group CEO Ralph Mupita.
MTN is currently seeing a period of relative macroeconomic stability across several of its key markets. Inflation moderated in many countries, exchange rates showed improved stability, and currencies such as the Ghanaian cedi and South African rand strengthened year-on-year, according to the company’s Q3 2025 report. This environment supported MTN’s broader commercial performance. The company deployed R27.9 billion ($1.634 billion) in capital expenditure to strengthen its networks and digital platforms, maintaining a capex intensity of 16.8% within its target range. These investments fueled growth in data traffic and fintech transactions, which increased by 26.6% and 13.9% respectively. Overall customer numbers rose by 5.8% to reach the 301.3 million mark.
