Asia Pacific will remain the world’s largest 5G region as subscriptions rise: report

China will remain the largest 5G market globally, with roughly 75% of its mobile subscribers expected to be on 5G by 2029. 

Asia–Pacific will remain the world’s largest 5G region, with subscriptions projected to rise from 2.7 billion in 2025 to 4.6 billion by 2030, according to GlobalData forecasts.

This implies a compound annual growth rate of about 11.4%. Adoption is being propelled by falling 5G device prices, continued rollout activity in India, Malaysia, and Thailand, and new network launches in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Government 5G strategies across Australia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan are also helping accelerate take-up.

China will remain the largest 5G market globally, with roughly 75% of its mobile subscribers expected to be on 5G by 2029. The country had deployed an estimated 4.6 million 5G base stations by September 2025, underlining its scale and early lead.

Telcos across the region are expected to invest around US$254b in networks through 2030, with the bulk directed toward 5G.

This investment will support the expansion of 5G-Advanced, enable more premium consumer plans, and open up a wider set of enterprise and private-network applications, from smart manufacturing and autonomous mobility to cloud gaming and IoT, and machine-to-machine services.