Sharp Rise of Cell Phone Ownership in Select Countries Percent of adults who own a cell phone
Recent surveys at Pew Research show that 91% of American adults have cell phones and that smartphones have overtaken simpler “feature phones” in popularity. The adoption pattern of cell phones in emerging countries like Turkey, Lebanon and Chile do not look very different from America. China and Russia have even nudged ahead of the U.S. But other countries lag. In Pakistan, slightly more than half have a cell phone and in Mexico, it’s just above six-in-ten. Still, the rapid rise in cell phone ownership is quite breathtaking and might be due to the fact that many nations, unlike the U.S., have skipped landline technology and moved straight to mobile.
Smartphone adoption, however, shows a different picture. More than half of Americans (55%) have a smartphone, 34% have a feature phone, and 9% have no phone. Elsewhere in the world, a smartphone is less common. However, significant minorities in countries such as Lebanon (45%) and China (37%) own a smartphone and the future looks bright for the technology. In every country polled, there is a significant age gap on smartphone ownership, with people under 30 more likely to own the devices. For instance, 69% of 18- 29 year-olds in China have a smartphone, making it the predominant technological choice for future generations.
Sharp Rise of Cell Phone Ownership in Select  | Countries  | Percent of adults who own a cell phone  | 95%  | China  | 100%  | 91 U.S  | 82  | Kenya  | 75  | 63  | Mexico  | 50  | 500  | 44  | 53  | 37  | 34  | Pakistan  | 33  | 25  | 9  | 2002  | 2007  | 2010  | 2013  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 