China vs World: Fixed telephone subscriptions
China
166.51 million
in 2024
World
815.00 million
in 2025
China rank
1st
World rank
1st
Fixed telephone subscriptions over time
- China
- World
How they compare
World currently reports 815.00 million against 166.51 million in China, a difference of 648.49 million.
That makes World's figure about 4.9 times China's.
Across all 45 years both countries report, World has been ahead every year.
China ranks 1st and World ranks 1st of 214 countries.
World has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.85 million | 260.30 million | 258.45 million | World |
| 1980s | 3.29 million | 397.20 million | 393.91 million | World |
| 1990s | 43.35 million | 683.78 million | 640.43 million | World |
| 2000s | 347.59 million | 1.25 billion | 904.55 million | World |
| 2010s | 238.86 million | 1.08 billion | 837.75 million | World |
| 2020s | 177.59 million | 871.20 million | 693.61 million | World |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fixed telephone subscriptions, China or World?
- World, at 815.00 million against 166.51 million in China as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fixed telephone subscriptions between China and World?
- 648.49 million, with World ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and World?
- 45 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2024.
- How do China and World rank globally for fixed telephone subscriptions?
- China ranks 1st and World ranks 1st of 214 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Fixed telephone subscriptions refers to the sum of active number of analogue fixed telephone lines, voice-over-IP (VoIP) subscriptions, fixed wireless local loop (WLL) subscriptions, ISDN voice-channel equivalents and fixed public payphones.