Fixed telephone subscriptions by country
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.
Countries reporting
214
Highest
166.51 million
China
Lowest
0
Chad
Median
250,482
Years covered
66
1960–2025
Data points
14,489
What the numbers show
Fixed telephone subscriptions is currently reported for 214 countries. The highest value is 166.51 million in China; the lowest is 0 in Chad.
The median across all reporting countries is 250,482, and the mean is 3.84 million.
Over the past decade 59 countries rose and 150 fell. The largest increase was in Gabon (up 262.8%), and the largest decrease in Bhutan (down 100.0%).
Fixed telephone subscriptions: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 166.51 million | 2024 | down 33.2% | volatile |
| 2 | United States | 81.55 million | 2024 | down 36.5% | rising |
| 3 | Japan | 59.33 million | 2023 | down 7.3% | rising |
| 4 | India | 39.24 million | 2024 | up 45.3% | volatile |
| 5 | Germany | 38.40 million | 2024 | down 18.3% | volatile |
| 6 | France | 37.28 million | 2023 | down 4.6% | volatile |
| 7 | Mexico | 29.52 million | 2024 | up 59.0% | volatile |
| 8 | Iran | 28.23 million | 2024 | down 3.9% | volatile |
| 9 | United Kingdom | 23.77 million | 2024 | down 28.5% | rising |
| 10 | Brazil | 22.55 million | 2024 | down 48.9% | volatile |
| 11 | South Korea | 21.29 million | 2024 | down 27.8% | volatile |
| 12 | Russia | 20.82 million | 2023 | down 48.6% | rising |
| 13 | Italy | 20.30 million | 2024 | down 1.4% | rising |
| 14 | Spain | 18.23 million | 2024 | down 5.2% | volatile |
| 15 | Egypt | 13.25 million | 2024 | up 109.8% | volatile |
| 16 | Canada | 10.97 million | 2024 | down 33.1% | rising |
| 17 | Turkey | 9.03 million | 2024 | down 28.0% | volatile |
| 18 | Malaysia | 8.22 million | 2024 | up 86.4% | volatile |
| 19 | Algeria | 6.93 million | 2024 | up 123.7% | volatile |
| 20 | Saudi Arabia | 6.71 million | 2024 | up 35.8% | volatile |
| 21 | Argentina | 6.42 million | 2024 | down 34.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Uzbekistan | 6.32 million | 2024 | up 152.1% | volatile |
| 23 | Colombia | 6.32 million | 2024 | down 12.0% | volatile |
| 24 | Australia | 5.95 million | 2024 | down 35.2% | rising |
| 25 | Portugal | 5.53 million | 2024 | up 20.4% | volatile |
| 26 | Iraq | 5.28 million | 2024 | up 170.9% | volatile |
| 27 | Greece | 4.69 million | 2024 | down 11.8% | volatile |
| 28 | Indonesia | 4.65 million | 2024 | down 82.3% | volatile |
| 29 | Philippines | 4.42 million | 2024 | up 43.0% | volatile |
| 30 | Poland | 4.41 million | 2024 | down 54.6% | volatile |
| 31 | Belarus | 4.14 million | 2024 | down 8.2% | volatile |
| 32 | Netherlands | 3.98 million | 2024 | down 42.8% | rising |
| 33 | Thailand | 3.90 million | 2024 | down 31.4% | volatile |
| 34 | Austria | 3.48 million | 2024 | down 1.1% | rising |
| 35 | Hong Kong | 3.31 million | 2024 | down 25.2% | volatile |
| 36 | Morocco | 3.04 million | 2024 | up 22.1% | volatile |
| 37 | Syria | 2.84 million | 2024 | down 21.7% | volatile |
| 38 | Switzerland | 2.73 million | 2024 | down 37.6% | rising |
| 39 | Vietnam | 2.64 million | 2024 | down 60.7% | volatile |
| 40 | Israel | 2.56 million | 2023 | down 24.7% | volatile |
| 41 | Pakistan | 2.54 million | 2024 | down 48.1% | volatile |
| 42 | Hungary | 2.52 million | 2024 | down 16.4% | volatile |
| 43 | Belgium | 2.49 million | 2024 | down 45.1% | rising |
| 44 | Kazakhstan | 2.44 million | 2024 | down 43.9% | volatile |
| 45 | Serbia | 2.42 million | 2024 | down 15.2% | falling |
| 46 | Venezuela | 2.42 million | 2024 | down 69.1% | volatile |
| 47 | United Arab Emirates | 2.29 million | 2024 | up 9.0% | volatile |
| 48 | Singapore | 2.04 million | 2024 | up 2.2% | volatile |
| 49 | Guatemala | 1.98 million | 2024 | up 15.4% | volatile |
| 50 | Tunisia | 1.96 million | 2024 | up 106.5% | volatile |
| 51 | Chile | 1.74 million | 2024 | down 49.3% | volatile |
| 52 | Romania | 1.72 million | 2024 | down 62.2% | volatile |
| 53 | Cuba | 1.59 million | 2024 | up 25.8% | volatile |
| 54 | Sri Lanka | 1.58 million | 2024 | down 41.6% | volatile |
| 55 | Ukraine | 1.43 million | 2023 | down 87.9% | volatile |
| 56 | Peru | 1.40 million | 2024 | down 53.9% | volatile |
| 57 | Azerbaijan | 1.33 million | 2024 | down 26.2% | volatile |
| 58 | Laos | 1.23 million | 2023 | up 75.8% | volatile |
| 59 | Ecuador | 1.22 million | 2024 | down 50.1% | volatile |
| 60 | Libya | 1.22 million | 2022 | up 49.7% | volatile |
| 61 | Uruguay | 1.21 million | 2024 | up 11.4% | volatile |
| 62 | North Korea | 1.18 million | 2022 | up 0.0% | rising |
| 63 | Czechia | 1.16 million | 2024 | down 42.1% | rising |
| 64 | Dominican Republic | 1.15 million | 2024 | down 6.3% | volatile |
| 65 | Croatia | 1.10 million | 2024 | down 29.7% | volatile |
| 66 | Ireland | 1.08 million | 2024 | down 46.7% | volatile |
| 67 | South Africa | 1.01 million | 2024 | down 72.2% | volatile |
| 68 | Lebanon | 924,461 | 2022 | up 6.6% | rising |
| 69 | El Salvador | 885,101 | 2024 | down 7.2% | volatile |
| 70 | Sweden | 796,716 | 2024 | down 78.9% | flat |
| 71 | Panama | 774,060 | 2023 | up 34.1% | volatile |
| 72 | Puerto Rico | 773,022 | 2024 | down 6.1% | rising |
| 73 | Ethiopia | 765,634 | 2024 | down 6.6% | volatile |
| 74 | Turkmenistan | 735,547 | 2022 | up 27.9% | volatile |
| 75 | Moldova | 734,202 | 2024 | down 39.7% | volatile |
| 76 | Yemen | 727,821 | 2022 | down 34.1% | volatile |
| 77 | Denmark | 697,867 | 2024 | down 62.7% | rising |
| 78 | Costa Rica | 610,457 | 2024 | down 30.7% | volatile |
| 79 | Slovenia | 607,443 | 2024 | down 21.1% | rising |
| 80 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 583,045 | 2024 | down 31.3% | rising |
| 81 | Kuwait | 572,621 | 2023 | up 12.7% | volatile |
| 82 | New Zealand | 564,000 | 2024 | down 69.5% | rising |
| 83 | Myanmar | 558,671 | 2024 | up 6.1% | volatile |
| 84 | Bulgaria | 551,943 | 2024 | down 69.6% | falling |
| 85 | Qatar | 524,643 | 2024 | up 25.6% | volatile |
| 86 | Mongolia | 519,169 | 2024 | up 127.4% | volatile |
| 87 | Jordan | 485,928 | 2024 | up 29.4% | volatile |
| 88 | Mauritius | 468,800 | 2024 | up 26.0% | volatile |
| 89 | Honduras | 459,820 | 2024 | down 12.8% | volatile |
| 90 | North Macedonia | 456,183 | 2024 | up 18.9% | rising |
| 91 | Slovakia | 454,876 | 2024 | down 50.5% | volatile |
| 92 | Jamaica | 453,882 | 2024 | up 78.3% | volatile |
| 93 | Oman | 435,596 | 2024 | up 16.1% | volatile |
| 94 | Nepal | 407,925 | 2024 | down 51.3% | volatile |
| 95 | Palestine | 383,653 | 2023 | down 4.8% | rising |
| 96 | Bolivia | 368,926 | 2024 | down 57.9% | volatile |
| 97 | Mali | 306,900 | 2022 | up 174.1% | volatile |
| 98 | Zimbabwe | 298,047 | 2024 | down 9.5% | volatile |
| 99 | Trinidad and Tobago | 297,734 | 2024 | up 3.0% | volatile |
| 100 | Armenia | 297,328 | 2024 | down 48.1% | rising |
| 101 | Senegal | 297,046 | 2024 | down 4.8% | volatile |
| 102 | Bangladesh | 284,748 | 2024 | down 70.8% | volatile |
| 103 | Ghana | 269,356 | 2024 | up 3.4% | volatile |
| 104 | Luxembourg | 260,060 | 2022 | down 2.5% | rising |
| 105 | Georgia | 258,038 | 2024 | down 76.5% | rising |
| 106 | Bahrain | 256,054 | 2024 | down 10.1% | volatile |
| 107 | Malta | 255,500 | 2024 | up 10.9% | volatile |
| 108 | Cyprus | 245,464 | 2024 | down 25.1% | volatile |
| 109 | Nicaragua | 244,832 | 2024 | down 27.9% | volatile |
| 110 | Cote d'Ivoire | 244,702 | 2024 | up 0.8% | volatile |
| 111 | Tajikistan | 229,778 | 2023 | down 45.9% | rising |
| 112 | Estonia | 227,420 | 2024 | down 44.2% | rising |
| 113 | Paraguay | 205,511 | 2023 | down 53.0% | volatile |
| 114 | Latvia | 204,756 | 2024 | down 48.8% | falling |
| 115 | Lithuania | 201,462 | 2024 | down 65.7% | volatile |
| 116 | Uganda | 195,975 | 2024 | down 39.6% | volatile |
| 117 | Montenegro | 192,212 | 2024 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 118 | Afghanistan | 181,963 | 2023 | up 90.0% | volatile |
| 119 | Papua New Guinea | 172,691 | 2022 | up 24.2% | volatile |
| 120 | Albania | 165,380 | 2024 | down 29.8% | volatile |
| 121 | Kyrgyzstan | 156,698 | 2024 | down 64.6% | rising |
| 122 | Sudan | 155,802 | 2022 | down 63.3% | volatile |
| 123 | Finland | 150,000 | 2024 | down 76.5% | volatile |
| 124 | Brunei | 128,276 | 2024 | up 79.0% | volatile |
| 125 | Suriname | 124,064 | 2024 | up 46.1% | volatile |
| 126 | Guyana | 123,604 | 2022 | down 19.8% | volatile |
| 127 | Barbados | 121,314 | 2022 | down 15.4% | volatile |
| 128 | Niger | 117,563 | 2024 | up 11.6% | volatile |
| 129 | Kosovo | 112,236 | 2022 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 129 | Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) | 112,236 | 2022 | up 5.6% | rising |
| 131 | Nigeria | 102,714 | 2024 | down 44.0% | volatile |
| 132 | Bahamas | 93,084 | 2024 | down 25.9% | rising |
| 133 | Botswana | 83,182 | 2024 | down 50.8% | volatile |
| 134 | Burkina Faso | 81,718 | 2024 | down 34.4% | volatile |
| 135 | Macao | 81,260 | 2024 | down 47.1% | volatile |
| 136 | Angola | 80,267 | 2024 | down 72.1% | volatile |
| 137 | Togo | 78,576 | 2024 | up 47.4% | volatile |
| 138 | Tanzania | 78,299 | 2024 | down 48.2% | volatile |
| 139 | Fiji | 77,765 | 2024 | up 2.7% | volatile |
| 140 | Namibia | 77,390 | 2024 | down 57.6% | volatile |
| 141 | United States Virgin Islands | 75,836 | 2022 | down 0.2% | rising |
| 142 | Zambia | 73,688 | 2024 | down 35.6% | volatile |
| 143 | Norway | 73,208 | 2024 | down 93.2% | volatile |
| 144 | Guam | 71,308 | 2022 | up 6.4% | volatile |
| 145 | Iceland | 68,518 | 2024 | down 60.1% | rising |
| 146 | Eritrea | 68,216 | 2022 | up 13.5% | rising |
| 147 | Cameroon | 67,507 | 2024 | down 94.2% | volatile |
| 148 | Gabon | 67,119 | 2024 | up 262.8% | rising |
| 149 | French Polynesia | 65,969 | 2023 | up 6.8% | volatile |
| 150 | Cape Verde | 61,294 | 2024 | up 2.8% | volatile |
| 151 | Kenya | 57,017 | 2024 | down 68.3% | volatile |
| 152 | Somalia | 55,005 | 2023 | down 14.1% | volatile |
| 153 | Andorra | 53,215 | 2024 | up 39.2% | volatile |
| 154 | New Caledonia | 46,570 | 2022 | down 41.8% | volatile |
| 155 | Curacao | 45,974 | 2023 | down 27.8% | falling |
| 156 | Gambia | 44,127 | 2024 | down 21.0% | volatile |
| 157 | Monaco | 36,884 | 2024 | down 27.1% | volatile |
| 158 | Cayman Islands | 35,773 | 2022 | down 4.3% | volatile |
| 159 | Eswatini | 35,641 | 2024 | down 19.7% | volatile |
| 160 | Aruba | 34,549 | 2022 | down 4.0% | rising |
| 161 | Saint Lucia | 30,640 | 2022 | down 16.8% | volatile |
| 162 | Cambodia | 29,080 | 2024 | down 91.9% | volatile |
| 163 | Djibouti | 28,673 | 2023 | up 38.6% | volatile |
| 164 | Mozambique | 28,329 | 2024 | down 67.4% | volatile |
| 165 | Bermuda | 28,177 | 2024 | down 3.6% | volatile |
| 166 | Antigua and Barbuda | 27,320 | 2022 | down 17.6% | volatile |
| 167 | British Virgin Islands | 24,443 | 2024 | up 106.3% | volatile |
| 168 | Northern Mariana Islands | 19,474 | 2022 | down 15.3% | rising |
| 169 | Belize | 17,806 | 2022 | down 29.9% | volatile |
| 170 | Congo | 17,604 | 2022 | up 17.9% | rising |
| 171 | Gibraltar | 17,155 | 2022 | down 25.8% | volatile |
| 172 | Grenada | 16,991 | 2022 | down 38.7% | volatile |
| 173 | Seychelles | 16,166 | 2024 | down 23.8% | volatile |
| 174 | San Marino | 16,000 | 2022 | down 14.4% | rising |
| 175 | Mauritania | 15,997 | 2024 | down 68.9% | volatile |
| 176 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 15,602 | 2022 | down 22.0% | rising |
| 177 | Faroe Islands | 14,940 | 2022 | down 20.0% | rising |
| 178 | Burundi | 14,363 | 2023 | down 32.4% | volatile |
| 179 | Maldives | 11,998 | 2024 | down 46.8% | volatile |
| 180 | Equatorial Guinea | 11,389 | 2022 | down 23.4% | volatile |
| 181 | Liechtenstein | 9,892 | 2024 | down 45.2% | rising |
| 182 | American Samoa | 9,693 | 2022 | down 3.1% | rising |
| 183 | Rwanda | 9,255 | 2024 | down 81.3% | volatile |
| 184 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 9,077 | 2024 | down 62.0% | volatile |
| 185 | Comoros | 8,823 | 2023 | down 61.6% | volatile |
| 186 | Lesotho | 7,980 | 2024 | down 83.9% | volatile |
| 187 | Dominica | 7,459 | 2021 | down 50.2% | volatile |
| 188 | Solomon Islands | 6,978 | 2022 | down 13.4% | rising |
| 189 | Micronesia (country) | 6,476 | 2022 | down 22.9% | rising |
| 190 | Liberia | 6,254 | 2022 | down 54.5% | flat |
| 191 | Palau | 6,154 | 2022 | down 16.0% | flat |
| 192 | Greenland | 4,996 | 2022 | down 73.6% | volatile |
| 193 | Malawi | 4,869 | 2024 | down 74.3% | volatile |
| 194 | Samoa | 4,567 | 2022 | down 44.8% | rising |
| 195 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 4,052 | 2022 | up 9.5% | rising |
| 196 | Madagascar | 3,413 | 2023 | down 97.7% | volatile |
| 197 | Tonga | 3,280 | 2022 | down 89.1% | volatile |
| 198 | Vanuatu | 3,036 | 2024 | down 47.0% | volatile |
| 199 | Tuvalu | 2,113 | 2022 | up 45.7% | volatile |
| 200 | Central African Republic | 2,088 | 2022 | up 153.7% | volatile |
| 201 | Marshall Islands | 1,947 | 2022 | down 17.5% | volatile |
| 202 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1,781 | 2024 | down 73.8% | volatile |
| 203 | East Timor | 1,691 | 2024 | down 52.5% | falling |
| 204 | Haiti | 1,357 | 2022 | down 97.3% | volatile |
| 205 | Benin | 1,350 | 2024 | down 99.3% | volatile |
| 206 | Sierra Leone | 269 | 2022 | down 98.5% | volatile |
| 207 | Kiribati | 14 | 2024 | down 99.3% | volatile |
| 208 | Bhutan | 0 | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
| 208 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 0 | 2024 | — | volatile |
| 208 | Guinea | 0 | 2022 | — | volatile |
| 208 | Guinea-Bissau | 0 | 2022 | — | volatile |
| 208 | Nauru | 0 | 2022 | — | falling |
| 208 | South Sudan | 0 | 2023 | — | volatile |
| 208 | Chad | 0 | 2024 | down 100.0% | volatile |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- World 815.00 million
- IDA & IBRD total 443.00 million
- OECD members 429.13 million
- IBRD only 420.00 million
- Low & middle income 417.49 million
- Middle income 415.79 million
- High income 398.00 million
- Post-demographic dividend 385.20 million
- Upper middle income 313.00 million
- East Asia & Pacific 288.00 million
- Late-demographic dividend 267.08 million
- Europe & Central Asia 217.00 million
- East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income) 186.00 million
- East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries) 185.00 million
- Early-demographic dividend 170.78 million
- European Union 155.00 million
- Euro area 142.04 million
- Lower middle income 94.00 million
- North America 89.00 million
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan 84.00 million
- Latin America & Caribbean 80.00 million
- Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries) 77.00 million
- Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income) 72.00 million
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (excluding high income) 71.00 million
- Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan (IDA & IBRD) 71.00 million
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) 53.00 million
- South Asia 52.00 million
- South Asia (IDA & IBRD) 52.00 million
- Arab World 37.45 million
- Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income) 29.00 million
- IDA total 22.00 million
- Central Europe and the Baltics 15.39 million
- IDA only 12.00 million
- IDA blend 10.00 million
- Low income 7.00 million
- Least developed countries 6.00 million
- Pre-demographic dividend 5.21 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa 5.00 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 5.00 million
- Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) 4.38 million
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.