DHAKA: Mobile phones will outnumber human population by the end of 2014, reaching a staggering 7.3 billion, a new study has said.

The study by the International Telecommunications Union concludes that the number of mobile phones will rise from 6 billion now to 7.3 billion in 2014, compared to the global population of 7 billion, Silicon India reported.

Mark Roden, chief executive officer of ding, the international mobile top-up provider, said mobile phones have the ability to drastically improve lives in some of the poorest parts of the world where communications are restricted.

However, he warns that the announcement may not be as sweet as it sounds.

"No matter how many mobiles exist - they are a useless tool unless they have credit. We are excited at the growth of mobile phones across the world and our mission now is to help ensure these phones stay topped-up," he said in a statement.

With more than $400 billion transferred in money remittances every year, international top-ups are an easy, fast and safe alternative to support home.

Over 100 countries have the number of cellphone accounts exceeding their population. Russia, with almost 250 million cellphone accounts, has 1.8 times as many cellphones as people, and Brazil, with 240 million accounts, has 1.2 times as many cellphones as people, the International Telecommunications Union study has found.

Researchers at ding have found that mobile phone owners in developing countries will forgo groceries to top-up their phones and confirmed that as many as 44% of ding customers consider the service a "need", a statement released in Dubai said.

Mobile phones play an important role in developing countries where, despite 60% of people living on less than $2 a day, the majority own mobile phones.

BDST: 0955 HRS, SEP 05, 2014