Line graph comparing mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people, showing Costa Rica has more subscriptions than developed countries | Sources: Our World in Data, Latinometrics

With 169, Costa Rica is one of the countries with the most active cellular phone lines per 100 people. Yes, you read that correctly — people in Costa Rica have, on average, 1.69 mobile subscriptions. They even outnumber the world’s most developed countries like the United States, Japan, and Switzerland in subscriptions per capita. El Salvador, another Central American country, also ranks among the top with 1.5 lines per person, outnumbering most Asian and European countries.

Our chart shows data up until 2019. However, reports say that Costa Rica had 7.5 million mobile phone subscribers in 2020 and a population of just over 5 million. Kolbi (owned by Costa Rican government’s Grupo ICE) is the market leader with 41% of the market share, followed by Movistar (39%) – acquired in 2021 by Liberty Latin America – and America Movil’s Claro with 20%.