eSIM Adoption by Country 2026
By Axis Intelligence Research
Co-author: Alex Rivera (Consumer Tech) | Last updated: September 15, 2026 | License: CC BY 4.0
In 26 of 58 major mobile markets, not one carrier can push an eSIM to a new iPhone at the point of sale. Axis Intelligence Research’s eSIM Country Readiness Index (ECRI) puts the United States and Canada at 100, Japan at 93.3 and the United Kingdom at 80.0, while Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire read 5.0.
Quick Answer
Axis Intelligence Research scored 58 countries on the eSIM Country Readiness Index (ECRI), built from Apple’s carrier-by-carrier eSIM listings and Apple’s list of eSIM-only iPhone markets, retrieved September 15, 2026. The ten eSIM-only markets in the panel post a median ECRI of 77.5; the 48 markets that still sell iPhones with a SIM tray post 35.0. Globally, GSMA Intelligence puts eSIM at 5% of smartphone connections at end-2025.
Key Findings
- Axis Intelligence Research finds that 26 of 58 markets (44.8%) have zero carriers listed by Apple for eSIM Carrier Activation, the purchase-time digital provisioning an eSIM-only phone depends on, as of September 15, 2026.
- Axis Intelligence Research’s eSIM Country Readiness Index ranks the United States and Canada joint first at 100, followed by Mexico (95.0), Japan (93.3) and Kuwait (82.5).
- The United States alone accounts for 22.9% of all Carrier Activation listings across the 58-market panel — 25 of 109 — according to Axis Intelligence Research’s count of Apple’s published carrier list.
- Africa has the lowest regional median ECRI at 12.9; seven of eight African markets in the panel have no Carrier Activation carrier, per Axis Intelligence Research.
- Apple sells eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro models in 12 countries and regions, unchanged from the iPhone 17 Pro generation — and the United Arab Emirates is on that list with an ECRI of just 37.5.
Which Countries Are Most Ready for eSIM in 2026?
The top of the ranking is where the hardware decision and the carrier plumbing arrived together. The United States lists 38 domestic carriers supporting eSIM on iPhone, 25 of them with Carrier Activation and 12 with eSIM Quick Transfer, on Apple’s worldwide eSIM carrier page. Canada lists 17, with 11 carriers supporting both activation paths. Both max out every component of the index.
Japan is the most interesting number in the top five. Ten carriers list Quick Transfer — the self-serve move of a line from an old iPhone to a new one, including converting a physical SIM. Only the United States lists more (12), and in Japan’s case it is every carrier on the list. Where Japan loses points is visitor eSIM: Apple lists a single domestic prepaid option aimed at international travelers.
ECRI Top 15
| Rank | Country | ECRI | Domestic eSIM carriers | Carrier Activation | Quick Transfer | eSIM-only iPhone market | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 100.0 | 38 | 25 | 12 | Yes | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 2 | Canada | 100.0 | 17 | 11 | 11 | Yes | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 3 | Mexico | 95.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 4 | Japan | 93.3 | 10 | 6 | 10 | Yes | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 5 | Kuwait | 82.5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 6 | United Kingdom | 80.0 | 7 | 6 | 5 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 7 | France | 75.0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 8 | Bahrain | 72.5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 9 | Thailand | 72.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 10 | Germany | 71.7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 11 | Ireland | 71.7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 12 | Australia | 71.7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 13 | Spain | 70.0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 14 | Switzerland | 65.8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
| 15 | Brazil | 65.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis calculation |
Alex Rivera: The UK at sixth is the result I’d want a European reader to sit with. It has no eSIM-only iPhone, so it gives up the 20 device-mandate points entirely, and still outscores five of the ten eSIM-only markets in the panel. Six carriers can put an eSIM on your phone at the till. The tray stayed. The plumbing didn’t wait for it.
What Is the eSIM Country Readiness Index (ECRI)?
ECRI — eSIM Country Readiness Index — is a 0–100 score measuring how far a country’s carrier market has built the digital paths a person needs to get, move and use an eSIM without ever touching a plastic card. It does not measure how many people have switched; no primary source publishes that on a consistent basis across countries. It measures whether switching is possible, and how easily.
Components and Weights
| Component | What it captures | Normalization | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier Activation depth | Carriers that assign an eSIM digitally at purchase or by phone | min(count, 3) ÷ 3 × 100 | 0.30 | Apple Support |
| Quick Transfer depth | Carriers supporting self-serve line transfer and physical-to-eSIM conversion | min(count, 3) ÷ 3 × 100 | 0.25 | Apple Support |
| Carrier breadth | Distinct domestic carriers listed for any eSIM method | min(count, 6) ÷ 6 × 100 | 0.15 | Apple Support |
| Visitor eSIM | Domestic carriers selling prepaid eSIM to inbound travelers | min(count, 3) ÷ 3 × 100 | 0.10 | Apple Support |
| Device mandate | Market sells eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro models | 100 if yes, 0 if no | 0.20 | Apple press release |
Formula: ECRI = 0.30 × CA + 0.25 × QT + 0.15 × Breadth + 0.10 × Visitor + 0.20 × Mandate
Worked example — United Kingdom: Carrier Activation 6 → capped at 3 → 100. Quick Transfer 5 → 100. Breadth 7 → capped at 6 → 100. Visitor eSIM 3 → 100. Mandate 0. ECRI = 30 + 25 + 15 + 10 + 0 = 80.0.
The heaviest weights sit on the two activation paths because they are the difference between an eSIM you can use and an eSIM you have to queue for. A market with plenty of carriers that only support QR codes emailed after a store visit is a market with eSIM availability, not eSIM readiness. The caps at three carriers reflect that most national markets are served by three or four network operators; beyond that, additional activation-capable brands add convenience, not access.
ECRI is a proprietary metric of Axis Intelligence Research, released under CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Axis Intelligence Research, eSIM Country Readiness Index, 2026, axis-intelligence.com/esim-adoption-by-country/.
How Does eSIM Readiness Compare by Region?
| Region | Panel markets | Median ECRI | Markets with zero Carrier Activation | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 2 | 100.0 | 0 | Axis Intelligence Research |
| Middle East | 7 | 58.3 | 4 | Axis Intelligence Research |
| Europe | 20 | 52.5 | 4 | Axis Intelligence Research |
| Asia-Pacific | 15 | 27.5 | 7 | Axis Intelligence Research |
| Latin America | 6 | 17.9 | 4 | Axis Intelligence Research |
| Africa | 8 | 12.9 | 7 | Axis Intelligence Research |
North America’s 100 reflects a two-country region where both markets sit at the ceiling, so treat it as a description of those two markets rather than a regional average in any statistical sense. The informative comparison is between the Middle East and Europe, which land within six points of each other by entirely different routes. Europe gets there on carrier plumbing without a single eSIM-only iPhone market. The Gulf gets there largely on Apple’s device decision, with the activation infrastructure still catching up.
Europe: 20 markets, no eSIM-only iPhones, median 52.5
Germany and Switzerland are the only European markets in the panel where every listed domestic carrier supports both Carrier Activation and Quick Transfer — 1&1, O2, Telekom and Vodafone in Germany; Salt, Sunrise and Swisscom in Switzerland. The United Kingdom and Ireland follow the same pattern with four carriers each on Carrier Activation. At the other end, Greece and Türkiye each list three carriers, none on either automated path, which puts both below 20.
The Nordic results are softer than the region’s digital reputation would suggest. Finland lists four carriers and none on Carrier Activation, for an ECRI of 33.3. Denmark reads 36.7. Sweden, at 57.5, has four carriers on Quick Transfer but no visitor eSIM offer listed by Apple.
Middle East: the device mandate arrived before the activation path
All six Gulf markets on Apple’s eSIM-only list — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — sit in the panel, alongside Israel. Kuwait scores 82.5, with two Carrier Activation carriers and all three on Quick Transfer. The United Arab Emirates scores 37.5: du, e& and Virgin Mobile are listed for QR-code or app-based activation and for visitor eSIM, but none for Carrier Activation or Quick Transfer.
Saudi Arabia shows the middle path. Mobily, stc and Zain all support Quick Transfer, so an existing customer can move a line to a new tray-less iPhone without a store visit, but none is listed for Carrier Activation.
Alex Rivera: An eSIM-only phone in a market with no Carrier Activation still works — you scan a QR code or use the carrier’s app. It’s just a worse first ten minutes with a new phone. The UAE result says the Emirates has made eSIM mandatory at the hardware level and optional at the onboarding level. That gap closes carrier by carrier, and it will be visible on Apple’s list the day it does.
Asia-Pacific: the widest spread in the panel
Asia-Pacific runs from Japan at 93.3 to Pakistan at 8.3. Thailand is the standout among markets without an eSIM-only iPhone: AIS, dtac and True each appear under all four of Apple’s categories, giving Thailand a perfect score on every carrier component at 72.5.
South Korea and Taiwan both read 47.5, and for the same reason. All three Korean carriers (KT, LG U+, SK Telecom) and all three Taiwanese carriers (Chunghwa Telecom, FarEasTone, Taiwan Mobile) support Carrier Activation, yet none is listed for Quick Transfer.
Hong Kong is the breadth paradox. Apple lists nine domestic carriers and brands for eSIM — the second-highest count in Asia after Japan — and none supports Carrier Activation or Quick Transfer. ECRI: 25.0. Lots of choice; every choice is manual.
China Mainland: open, but through the store
China mainland reads 27.5. China Telecom and China Unicom support Carrier Activation, and all three national operators are listed. What caps the score is the process: Apple’s China mainland eSIM page states that activation requires visiting a carrier store for an ID check, and that only five iPhone models sold in China mainland can install a China mainland eSIM profile — iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air.
The same page states that iPhones purchased outside China mainland cannot install eSIM profiles from mainland carriers, and that eSIMs from non-mainland carriers cannot be installed while the device is located in China mainland. Both are routing constraints that no count of carriers captures, and both are worth knowing before anyone reads China’s operator count as evidence of an open eSIM market.
Africa and Latin America: the Carrier Activation gap is almost total
Seven of eight African markets in the panel list no Carrier Activation carrier. The exception is Senegal, where Yas is listed. Nigeria (four carriers: 9mobile, Airtel, Glo, MTN) and Egypt (four carriers: e&, Orange, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone) both read 20.0 — respectable breadth, no automated activation.
Latin America is Brazil and Mexico, then a sharp drop. Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru each list three or four carriers and no Carrier Activation, putting all four between 10.8 and 18.3.
Where Are eSIM-Only iPhones Sold?
Apple states that eSIM-only models of iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are available in Bahrain, Canada, Guam, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The same September 9, 2026 announcement says eSIM is supported by over 500 carriers worldwide.
| Country / region | Region | ECRI | Carrier Activation carriers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | North America | 100.0 | 25 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Canada | North America | 100.0 | 11 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Mexico | Latin America | 95.0 | 3 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Japan | Asia-Pacific | 93.3 | 6 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Kuwait | Middle East | 82.5 | 2 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Bahrain | Middle East | 72.5 | 1 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Saudi Arabia | Middle East | 65.0 | 0 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Qatar | Middle East | 58.3 | 1 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Oman | Middle East | 45.8 | 0 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| United Arab Emirates | Middle East | 37.5 | 0 | Apple; Axis calculation |
| Guam | — | not in panel | — | Apple |
| U.S. Virgin Islands | — | not in panel | — | Apple |
Three of the ten eSIM-only markets in the panel — Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE — have no Carrier Activation carrier on Apple’s list. Even with the 20-point mandate bonus, Oman and the UAE sit below Germany, Ireland and Australia, none of which sells an eSIM-only iPhone 18 Pro.
The median comparison is the cleaner way to read it: 77.5 for eSIM-only markets against 35.0 for tray-retained markets. Part of that gap is the mandate component itself, which is worth up to 20 points by construction. Strip it out and the eSIM-only median on carrier components alone is 57.5, still well above the other group. Axis Intelligence Research reads that as evidence that Apple has chosen eSIM-only markets where carriers were already ahead, not that the mandate produced the carrier readiness.
How Many People Actually Use eSIM, Country by Country?
Nobody publishes this consistently. GSMA Intelligence reports a global figure — eSIM at 5% of smartphone connections at the end of 2025, rising to 10% by the end of 2026 — and states that 73% of mobile network operators have launched commercial smartphone eSIM, per the GSMA’s May 2026 eSIM deployment assessment.
Country splits of that 5% sit behind subscription research, and national regulators that publish eSIM line counts are the exception rather than the rule. Axis Intelligence Research does not estimate country penetration to fill that hole, because an invented national percentage would be the most-copied and least-defensible number on this page. ECRI is published instead as the measurable precondition: a country cannot reach high eSIM penetration without the activation paths the index scores.
The same GSMA assessment identifies why readiness and usage diverge: consumer awareness climbed from 25% to 60% in GSMA Intelligence surveys, but only 8% of aware consumers discovered eSIM through their own operator’s promotion. The hub page’s eSIM Activation Index measures that conversion gap globally; ECRI shows where, country by country, the operator side of it is still unbuilt.
Can Travelers Buy a Local eSIM on Arrival?
In most of the panel, yes, from a domestic carrier. Apple lists at least one domestic carrier offering prepaid eSIM for international visitors in 48 of 58 panel markets. Canada lists nine, the most in the panel; Egypt, Brazil, France and Italy list four each.
Ten markets list none: Belgium, Cameroon, Chile, China mainland, Côte d’Ivoire, Czechia, Denmark, Israel, Senegal and Sweden. Visitors to those markets still have roaming or third-party travel eSIMs, which the index does not score. The price side of that choice is covered in our Travel eSIM Statistics 2026.
Alex Rivera: Sweden is the one that surprises people. Four carriers on Quick Transfer, a very eSIM-literate home market, and no inbound visitor eSIM on Apple’s list. The market was built for residents. If you’re flying into Stockholm, a travel eSIM bought before departure is the practical route.
Full Ranking: All 58 Markets
| Rank | Country | Region | ECRI | Carriers | CA | QT | Visitor | eSIM-only | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | North America | 100.0 | 38 | 25 | 12 | 6 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 2 | Canada | North America | 100.0 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 9 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 3 | Mexico | Latin America | 95.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 4 | Japan | Asia-Pacific | 93.3 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 1 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 5 | Kuwait | Middle East | 82.5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 6 | United Kingdom | Europe | 80.0 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 7 | France | Europe | 75.0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 8 | Bahrain | Middle East | 72.5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 9 | Thailand | Asia-Pacific | 72.5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 10 | Germany | Europe | 71.7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 11 | Ireland | Europe | 71.7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 12 | Australia | Asia-Pacific | 71.7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 13 | Spain | Europe | 70.0 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 14 | Switzerland | Europe | 65.8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 15 | Brazil | Latin America | 65.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 16 | Netherlands | Europe | 65.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 17 | Saudi Arabia | Middle East | 65.0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 18 | New Zealand | Asia-Pacific | 65.0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 19 | India | Asia-Pacific | 60.8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 20 | Norway | Europe | 58.3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 21 | Qatar | Middle East | 58.3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 22 | Sweden | Europe | 57.5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 23 | Austria | Europe | 55.8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 24 | Italy | Europe | 49.2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 25 | South Korea | Asia-Pacific | 47.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 26 | Taiwan | Asia-Pacific | 47.5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 27 | Oman | Middle East | 45.8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 28 | Belgium | Europe | 45.0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 29 | Portugal | Europe | 42.5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 30 | Romania | Europe | 42.5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 31 | United Arab Emirates | Middle East | 37.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Yes | Apple; Axis |
| 32 | Israel | Middle East | 37.5 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 33 | Denmark | Europe | 36.7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 34 | Poland | Europe | 36.7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 35 | Finland | Europe | 33.3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 36 | China mainland | Asia-Pacific | 27.5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 37 | Czechia | Europe | 25.8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 38 | South Africa | Africa | 25.8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 39 | Malaysia | Asia-Pacific | 25.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 40 | Hong Kong | Asia-Pacific | 25.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 41 | Egypt | Africa | 20.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 42 | Nigeria | Africa | 20.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 43 | Chile | Latin America | 18.3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 44 | Colombia | Latin America | 17.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 45 | Türkiye | Europe | 17.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 46 | Bangladesh | Asia-Pacific | 17.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 47 | Singapore | Asia-Pacific | 17.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 48 | Argentina | Latin America | 16.7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 49 | Senegal | Africa | 15.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 50 | Philippines | Asia-Pacific | 11.7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 51 | Peru | Latin America | 10.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 52 | Greece | Europe | 10.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 53 | Morocco | Africa | 10.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 54 | Indonesia | Asia-Pacific | 10.8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 55 | Kenya | Africa | 8.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 56 | Pakistan | Asia-Pacific | 8.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 57 | Cameroon | Africa | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
| 58 | Côte d’Ivoire | Africa | 5.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | No | Apple; Axis |
CA = carriers listed for eSIM Carrier Activation; QT = carriers listed for eSIM Quick Transfer; Visitor = domestic carriers listed for prepaid eSIM for international travelers. Tied scores share the order in which markets appear in the dataset.
Singapore at 47th deserves a sentence of its own, because it is the result most likely to be challenged. M1, Singtel and StarHub are all listed, and all three sell visitor eSIM, but none is listed by Apple for Carrier Activation or Quick Transfer. The score reflects what Apple publishes as supported on iPhone, not what those operators offer on other devices or through their own apps.
Methodology
Collection. Carrier counts were read on September 15, 2026 from Apple’s support article Find wireless carriers and worldwide service providers that offer eSIM service on iPhone (article 101569). Apple groups carriers per country into four categories: eSIM Carrier Activation, eSIM Quick Transfer, other activation methods (QR code or carrier app), and prepaid eSIM for international travelers. Markets alphabetically from Afghanistan to Puerto Rico were read from the U.S. English edition; markets from Qatar onward were read from the Japanese-locale edition of the same article, because the English edition could not be retrieved in full during the session; for every market from Afghanistan to Puerto Rico, the two editions list identical carriers and categories. The source edition for every country is recorded in the CSV. eSIM-only market status comes from Apple’s September 9, 2026 iPhone 18 Pro press release. China mainland activation rules come from Apple support article 123879. Global penetration and operator figures come from the GSMA’s May 1, 2026 eSIM deployment assessment.
Counting rules. A carrier is counted once per country regardless of how many categories list it. Worldwide data-only providers that Apple lists inside country sections (BetterRoaming, Ubigi, MTX Connect, eSIM.net, Sim Local) are excluded from domestic counts. Brands listed separately by Apple are counted separately, even where they belong to the same group. Duplicate spellings of one carrier (for example “Rakuten” and “Rakuten Mobile”) are merged.
Panel selection. The 58 markets were chosen to cover every country with an eSIM-only iPhone that Apple lists as a country (Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands excluded as territories), and the largest mobile economies in each region. Vietnam is not in this reading because its section was not captured in the retrieved editions; it will be added at the next review.
Formula. ECRI = 0.30 × CA + 0.25 × QT + 0.15 × Breadth + 0.10 × Visitor + 0.20 × Mandate, with CA, QT and Visitor each scored as min(count, 3) ÷ 3 × 100, Breadth as min(count, 6) ÷ 6 × 100, and Mandate as 100 or 0. Regional figures are medians. The eSIM-only carrier-component median (57.5) subtracts the 20 mandate points from each eSIM-only market’s ECRI and takes the median afterwards; no rescaling is applied.
What ECRI reads, and what it doesn’t. ECRI scores the activation paths Apple documents for iPhone. Android activation support, carrier pricing for eSIM issuance, and actual national eSIM penetration are outside the score. A carrier that supports eSIM but does not appear on Apple’s list scores as absent until Apple lists it.
About This Dataset
File: esim-adoption-by-country.csv — 435 rows, long format, one observation per row. Per-country rows for domestic eSIM carriers, Carrier Activation, Quick Transfer, visitor eSIM and eSIM-only status; ECRI score and rank for all 58 markets; regional medians; panel-level findings; and the GSMA and Apple global reference figures used on this page.
Columns: metric, value, unit, geography, region, segment, as_of_date, source_org, source_document, source_url, retrieved_date, is_primary, axis_calculated, method_note. Every axis_calculated = yes row carries its formula in method_note.
License: CC BY 4.0. Free to reuse, republish and build on, including commercially, with attribution to Axis Intelligence Research.
Cite This Research
APA: Axis Intelligence Research. (2026). eSIM adoption by country 2026: 58 markets ranked by how ready they are to drop the SIM card. Axis Intelligence. https://axis-intelligence.com/esim-adoption-by-country/
MLA: Axis Intelligence Research, and Alex Rivera. “eSIM Adoption by Country 2026: 58 Markets Ranked by How Ready They Are to Drop the SIM Card.” Axis Intelligence, 15 Sept. 2026, axis-intelligence.com/esim-adoption-by-country/.
Chicago: Axis Intelligence Research. “eSIM Adoption by Country 2026: 58 Markets Ranked by How Ready They Are to Drop the SIM Card.” Axis Intelligence, September 15, 2026. https://axis-intelligence.com/esim-adoption-by-country/.
eSIM by Country: What Buyers, Travelers and Analysts Ask
If I buy an eSIM-only iPhone in the US, will it work with a carrier in a country that scores low on ECRI?
Usually, if that carrier supports eSIM at all. A low ECRI means activation is manual — QR code, app or store visit — not impossible. The hard exception is China mainland: Apple states that iPhones bought outside China mainland cannot install eSIM profiles from mainland carriers.
Why does the UAE sell eSIM-only iPhones but rank 31st?
Because Apple lists no UAE carrier for Carrier Activation or Quick Transfer. du, e& and Virgin Mobile are listed for QR-code or app activation and visitor eSIM, so the phone works, but moving onto it takes more steps than in Kuwait or Bahrain, which score 82.5 and 72.5.
Which country has the most carriers supporting eSIM on iPhone?
The United States, with 38 domestic carriers on Apple’s list as of September 15, 2026, followed by Canada with 17 and Japan with 10. Hong Kong lists nine, but none supports Carrier Activation or Quick Transfer.
Does a high number of eSIM carriers mean high eSIM adoption?
No, and Hong Kong is the proof. It lists nine carriers and scores 25.0, because none offers the automated activation paths that make switching quick. Breadth carries 15% of the ECRI weight precisely because choice without automation does little to move people off plastic.
Is eSIM available for smartphones in China?
Yes, since late 2025, with conditions. Apple’s China mainland page states that China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom support eSIM, that activation requires a store visit with ID, and that five iPhone models sold in China mainland support it.
Which African countries support eSIM on iPhone?
All eight African markets in the panel have at least two carriers listed for some form of eSIM activation. Only Senegal has a carrier listed for Carrier Activation, and only South Africa has one listed for Quick Transfer (Vodacom).
Why is Europe not on Apple’s eSIM-only iPhone list if its carriers are ready?
Apple has not stated a reason. The data shows readiness is not the obstacle in the leading European markets: the UK, France, Germany and Ireland each outscore at least four of Apple’s ten eSIM-only panel markets without the device-mandate points.
How would a country move up the ECRI ranking fastest?
By getting its existing carriers onto Apple’s Carrier Activation and Quick Transfer lists. Those two components carry 55% of the score. For a market like Singapore, adding all three operators to both lists would lift the score from 17.5 to 72.5 without any new carrier entering the market.
Related Axis Intelligence Research: eSIM Statistics 2026 — the global adoption, shipments and activation picture · Travel eSIM Statistics 2026 — prices and the roaming premium · Smartphone Statistics 2026 · Android Statistics 2026 · Starlink Direct to Cell · eSIM IoT Statistics (forthcoming)