Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Fixed telephone subscriptions was 181,963 in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
181,963
Change on year
up 12.2%
World rank
118th
of 214 countries
All-time high
181,963
in 2023
All-time low
5,130
in 2009
Years of data
59
1960–2023

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan, 1960–2023

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k196019912023

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 181,963 for fixed telephone subscriptions in 2023. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.

That represents a change of up 12.2% on the previous year and up 90.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan peaked at 181,963 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5,130, in 2009.

Afghanistan ranks 118th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan, year by year

Annual values for Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan, 1960 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1960 7,700
1961 7,700 +0.0%
1962 7,700 +0.0%
1963 7,700 +0.0%
1964 7,700 +0.0%
1965 9,300 +20.8%
1966 9,300 +0.0%
1967 9,300 +0.0%
1968 9,300 +0.0%
1969 9,300 +0.0%
1970 16,000 +72.0%
1971 16,000 +0.0%
1972 16,000 +0.0%
1973 16,000 +0.0%
1974 16,000 +0.0%
1975 21,500 +34.4%
1976 22,200 +3.3%
1977 22,200 +0.0%
1978 25,300 +14.0%
1979 25,300 +0.0%
1980 25,800 +2.0%
1981 31,700 +22.9%
1982 28,000 -11.7%
1983 29,000 +3.6%
1984 30,000 +3.4%
1985 31,000 +3.3%
1986 32,000 +3.2%
1987 33,000 +3.1%
1988 34,000 +3.0%
1989 35,000 +2.9%
1990 36,200 +3.4%
1991 37,000 +2.2%
1992 29,000 -21.6%
1993 29,000 +0.0%
1994 29,000 +0.0%
1995 29,000 +0.0%
1996 29,000 +0.0%
1997 29,000 +0.0%
1998 29,000 +0.0%
1999 29,000 +0.0%
2000 29,000 +0.0%
2001 29,000 +0.0%
2002 33,050 +14.0%
2003 36,700 +11.0%
2009 5,130 -86.0%
2010 16,620 +224.0%
2011 13,509 -18.7%
2012 90,017 +566.3%
2013 95,769 +6.4%
2014 101,931 +6.4%
2015 110,000 +7.9%
2016 114,192 +3.8%
2017 118,769 +4.0%
2018 127,794 +7.6%
2019 134,636 +5.4%
2020 145,787 +8.3%
2021 145,787 +0.0%
2022 162,222 +11.3%
2023 181,963 +12.2%

Afghanistan compared with similar countries

  • Afghanistan's 181,963 is above the median for low income countries, which is 44,127, 4.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Afghanistan's 181,963 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.22 million, 15% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2012 +566.3% 13,509 90,017
2010 +224.0% 5,130 16,620
2009 -86.0% 36,700 5,130
1970 +72.0% 9,300 16,000
1975 +34.4% 16,000 21,500

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 8,500 7,700 9,300 10
1970s 19,650 16,000 25,300 10
1980s 30,950 25,800 35,000 10
1990s 30,520 29,000 37,000 10
2000s 26,576 5,130 36,700 5
2010s 92,324 13,509 134,636 10
2020s 158,940 145,787 181,963 4

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 115 Lithuania 201,462 compare
  2. 116 Uganda 195,975 compare
  3. 117 Montenegro 192,212 compare
  4. 119 Papua New Guinea 172,691 compare
  5. 120 Albania 165,380 compare
  6. 121 Kyrgyzstan 156,698 compare

See the full ranking of 261 places →

More infrastructure data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan?
Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan was 181,963 in 2023, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
What is the highest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 181,963 in 2023.
What is the lowest fixed telephone subscriptions recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 5,130 in 2009.
How does Afghanistan rank for fixed telephone subscriptions?
Afghanistan ranks 118th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
Is fixed telephone subscriptions rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is up 90.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), published as part of Fixed telephone subscriptions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fixed telephone subscriptions in Afghanistan. Statizoid, drawing on World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/fixed-telephone-subscriptions/afghanistan/

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About this data

Indicator
Fixed telephone subscriptions
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
261 places, 14,489 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.