The Phone Status Index: A Versatile Measure of Individual Socio-Economic Status in Developing Countries

Jørgen Carling and Nicolás Caso

Journal of Development Studies, 2026, vol. 62, issue 3, 359-381

Abstract: Mobile phones are increasingly ubiquitous and potentially reveal a great deal about their users’ socio-economic status. Surveys commonly include a question or two about phones, but there is great untapped potential for leveraging information about phones and their use in a more systematic way. In this article, we propose the phone status index as a measure of individual socio-economic status in developing countries. We lay out a versatile approach and discuss the merits of a dozen variables that might be relevant, depending on the context. We also present a specific version, the FUMI phone status index that we have applied in urban West Africa. With four easy-to-answer questions this index holds up well against a much more elaborate measures of socio-economic status and takes up less than 25 seconds of an average survey interview. The phone-status index is sensitive to intra-household wealth inequality and can therefore be a valuable supplement for understanding individual circumstances and behaviour. The index is developed at the intersection of survey research methodology and a rich ethnographic literature about the significance and use of mobile phones in developing countries, especially in Africa.

Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2025.2533902

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