Morocco’s number of smartphone users have more than doubled in one year says the country’s telecoms regulator.

An ICT survey conducted by the Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Télécommunications (ANRT) reveals that 33% of Moroccans aged 12 to 65 had smartphones in 2013 compared to just 16% in 2012.

This means that Morocco’s number of smartphones jumped from 3.6 million in 2012 to 7.4 million in 2013.

The ANRT survey was conducted between February 27 to March 26 2014 with 1,823 households. The target population of the households surveyed; though, includes only those in urban and rural areas with electrification.

“The large increase in the share of individuals with smartphones occurred in both urban and rural areas,” says ANRT in its report.

“However, the gap between urban areas, where 40% of those equipped with a mobile phone have a smartphone and the rural areas (21%) is still significant,” says ANRT.

Usage of mobile applications have also doubled in the country, according to ANRT.

“More than one fourth (27%) of individuals equipped with smartphones used a mobile application in 2013 whereas only 12% did it in 2012,” says ANRT.

“Mobile applications are more used in urban areas (34%) than in rural areas (9%).

“In 2013, more than half (57%) of mobile applications users used them on a daily basis,” adds ANRT.

Other results of the survey point to how 93% of respondents in the 12-65 years old bracket had a mobile phone in 2013.

Meanwhile, only 26% of households reported having fixed line telephony.

Morocco has a population of 32.5 million people according to the World Bank.