Fixed telephone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Fixed telephone subscriptions was 0.4 per 100 people in 2025. β² Rising
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960β2025
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Measured in per 100 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fixed telephone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) is 0.4 per 100 people, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 1.56 per 100 people in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.4 per 100 people, in 2024.
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 43rd of 46 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.5099 per 100 people | 0.4984 per 100 people | 0.5219 per 100 people | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.6388 per 100 people | 0.5063 per 100 people | 0.8183 per 100 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8216 per 100 people | 0.7045 per 100 people | 0.9452 per 100 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.13 per 100 people | 0.9897 per 100 people | 1.42 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.48 per 100 people | 1.38 per 100 people | 1.56 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.09 per 100 people | 0.7 per 100 people | 1.46 per 100 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5167 per 100 people | 0.4 per 100 people | 0.7 per 100 people | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 40 Faroe Islands 27.66 per 100 people compare
- 41 Israel 27.66 per 100 people compare
- 42 Least developed countries 0.5 per 100 people compare
- 42 Canada 27.6 per 100 people compare
- 43 Hungary 26 per 100 people compare
- 44 Cyprus 25.4 per 100 people compare
- 45 North Macedonia, Republic of 25.02 per 100 people compare
- 46 Liechtenstein 24.81 per 100 people compare
More infrastructure data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 1.20 billion (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions 90.4 per 100 people (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions 5.00 million (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per capita 0.0038 units per person (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, annual growth rate -16.67 % change on previous year (2025)
- Fixed telephone subscriptions, gaps filled 5.00 million (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per capita 0.9049 units per person (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions, gaps filled 1.20 billion (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Fixed telephone subscriptions in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 0.4 per 100 people in 2025, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.56 per 100 people in 2009.
- What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4 per 100 people in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 43rd out of 46 groups with data for 2025.
- Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions (per 100 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.